Prince of Persia - Kindred Blades
by Ceamonks890
Summary: After managing to rewrite his fate and leave the Island of Time with a newly formed ally, the Prince intends to return home and settle down after years spent on the run. However, fate always finds a way to correct itself as the Prince finds himself facing his greatest adversary yet, ultimately torn between right and wrong as he fights to save Babylon from new threats.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

The early morning sun rose up in the distance as a single boat could be seen moving in the direction of the city of Babylon.

To many, just the sight of seeing such a place alive and bustling with life was a thing of beauty.

But that was not on the Prince's list of priorities at the moment as he walked up from the cargo hold below, lost in thought and dressed in his royal armor as he took in the natural sea air.

'No matter how many times I attempt to force it aside, that vision I had on the night we left the island continues to haunt my every-waking moment,' the Prince said quietly to himself. 'I manage to challenge and escape death countless times, only to find myself back exactly where I started! How am I to truly find inner peace, to keep Kaileena and my loved ones safe, when an enemy I don't even know yet is ready to take everything from me that I hold dear at a moment's notice?'

He punched his right fist on a side of the boat in frustration, before placing his left hand near the armor section which housed the Amulet he'd had since the Azad incident that never happened.

He remembered Farah, how she had died for a mistake he'd made in good conscious and the now long-dead Vizier who had profited off their misfortunes in a timeline he ensured to undo after her misguided sacrifice. No-one but him even remembered the events of Azad after plunging the dagger into the hourglass, not even her and the love they'd secretly harbored for each other.

He then remembered the years of pointless and unfulfilling wars, running from the Dahaka and the previous few weeks spent on the island, intending to escape the fate so cruelly forced upon him after many sacrifices made along the way for the sake of his own self-preservation.

The Prince contemplated why he was even still fretting over all of this. He'd managed to prove Kaileena's visions wrong once already by choosing to not kill her as he had previously intended to do, when bringing her into the present along with him and effectively make it so the Sands of Time would cease to exist.

But something inside him, perhaps a feeling of admiration in a conflicted soul so similar to his own, caused him to have second thoughts and instead chose to fight destiny head-on, slaying the monster which had caused him so much grief and torment for so long. And Kaileena had been by his side throughout that gruelling battle, both watching in fear as the beast disintegrated before their eyes after falling into the water below the combat arena.

So if they could finish off a titan like the Dahaka together, they'd deal with whatever came their way next at the hands of this shadowy figure in the same fashion. The Prince was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the distinct voice of Kaileena coming up to join him on deck, dressed in her usual red robes as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

'What troubles you, my Prince?' she said. 'Is it that vision again?'

'I'm afraid so,' he replied. 'I just can't shake the feeling that we're being pulled into some kind of trap. That this unknown enemy is plotting methods in taking over my kingdom as we speak and planning to harm anyone close to me, all for the sake of getting back what he claims as his own.'

'And as I've said to you before, you'll know what to do when the time comes,' Kaileena said. 'You are a brave and formidable warrior, Prince. Do not allow your doubts and fears to take hold of you. Believe me, that's a lesson I took too long to learn myself.'

'Thank you Kaileena.' the Prince said. 'As always, your counsel provides me great relief in these uncertain times.'

'A pleasure.' Kaileena said as she kissed him on the cheek and moved towards the sails.

For a moment, the Prince settled himself as he braved a quick smile, preparing to see his home in all its glory after all the trials and tribulations of the past several years. To his utter horror, what he saw next was not a bustling cityscape but instead his city in flames, as was so ominously prophesied in the vision he'd hoped to never come to pass.

'No!' the Prince said in a reserved panic as Kaileena made a gasped shock in kind.

'This cannot be!' the Prince said loudly. 'Babylon's defences are unequalled across the world. No enemy should be able to take control of it so easily.'

'Perhaps we'll find out more once we reach...' Kaileena cut herself off as she saw incoming fire arrows targeting them. Doing the best she could to redirect the ship's sails in a direction far from their attackers, their luck run out when a spiked cannonball was shot at them and in a split second, the ship they'd traversed many miles on was destroyed.

The Prince recovered quickly on a piece of floating wood, looking desperately for Kaileena. Fearing the worst, he saw her body laying on a bigger portion of wood.

Refusing to lose another person he'd grown to appreciate in his life, the Prince took a chance and swam as hard as he could, fighting against the strong water currents as his entire body cried out in objectionable strain to rest. But he refused to give up, continuing to fight the elements and his own fatigue, just to get to Kaileena.

And once he managed to reach her and climb onto the large ship chunk of which her unconscious body laid, he checked her pulse, relieved to discover she was still breathing. But before he could comprehend the full gravitas of the situation, fatigue completely won out and he collapsed in exhaustion near Kaileena, the last thing he saw being his kingdom... in flames.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

As he found himself gradually coming back to consciousness, the Prince could overhear terrified-sounding individuals pleading for their lives in the streets as he felt himself being dragged along in what was later revealed to be a cage, held by loyal guards of his as of yet unknown enemy.

Thankfully, Kaileena was in the moving cage behind him.

Bringing him up to speed, she revealed that they'd been dragged for the past few hours towards the Prison, in order to be transformed into obedient servants for their new 'king'.

This worried the Prince greatly. What of his family and friends? And how exactly did this strange foe manage to obtain such power or defeat Babylon's formidable army with relative ease? But even if he did get the answers he sought, would he be ready to live with this newfound knowledge? He could only guess what fate had in store for them this time as they were continually dragged along to their doom, unable to fight back their capturers for fear of putting innocent civilians at risk.

More hours passed before any significant developments occurred as the cages were placed down in secure areas within the Prison, with a guard shouting out loudly to the prisoners what awaited them beyond the massive closed door ahead.

'Attention whelps! You've all been brought here, because our King values your numbers and is willing to let you live on as one of us... if you survive the process'.

Civilians continued to panic while the Prince could only grasp the bars of his cage in frustration as the guard continued on, letting out a sadistic giggle every now and then.

'Those of you that do manage to successfully pull through and emerge anew, will find themselves changed into something better, something beautiful. Those of you that don't... Best pray that you've lived a fulfilling life, because the flames won't treat you any differently. Now, if we could have our first volunteer...'

Two other guards reached down to unlock the cage of a middle-aged man who cried out in terror as he struggled against being pulled completely from it, eventually losing the fight against the overpowered strength of these almost supernatural beings.

'Look, this one is especially fearful,' one other guard said. 'If he makes it out, he'll make an excellent soldier for our king.'

The other guard agreed with a simple gleeful laugh as they both dragged the poor man against his will towards the door, the guard who'd explained the entire process to the Prince, Kaileena and the other prisoners earlier, closing it behind them.

'We need to do something,' the Prince said. 'If only I had a hairpin of some sort to break this lock.'

Kaileena said nothing as she seemed entirely lost in thought.

'Kaileena. Any open suggestions would be greatly appreciated.' the Prince said, coaxing her out of her unheard thoughts.

'If I have any immediate solutions Prince, I will let you know. But at the moment, nothing is coming to mind,' she said.

'Come on, come on. Surely there is something you can do,' the Prince articulated. 'You have the Sands contained within your body. Surely you can use them to speed up the ageing process of these bars and set us free.'

'It's not that simple Prince!' Kaileena spouted out in frustration. 'Were I to attempt this, I would only leave myself greatly weakened afterwards. I may have been the Empress of Time for the greater part of my existence, but even I have my limits.'

'So I suppose this is it then,' the Prince said as he changed his position around within his cage, one of his legs raised while the other lay stretched out. 'We escape one nightmare only to find ourselves in another. The Old Man was right. No one can truly change their fate.'

'But even if this is to be the end of our story,' Kaileena said as she reached out one of her hands and held one of his strongly, 'At least we both tried. At the end of it all, that's what matters most.'

The Prince and Kaileena got dragged back to the reality of their situation as they suddenly heard the screaming of the middle-aged man seemingly being burned alive in the locked room beyond. Despite being hardened warriors, they could only hold each other more tightly and pray for a miracle.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Time seemed to flow by in an instant as several more prisoners were dragged out of their cages and subjected to the unknown transformation process, the Prince becoming increasingly fearful as a few former citizens emerged from the locked torture room as entirely changed beings who appeared to lose themselves to madness. Others weren't so lucky, implied by the guards to be nothing more than another chargrilled corpse for the dogs to chew on.

Unfortunately, the guards went in the direction of the Prince's cage and seemed to express a special interest in him. For what purpose, the Prince didn't even want to think about as he was dragged out of his cage with ease, being still far too exhausted to fight back against these monsters.

He managed a quick glance back in the direction of Kaileena before he was forced to turn around by one of the guards as she could only reach out a hand and somehow, someway, get him back with her. But alas, it was a fool's errand as she could only shed some tears at the seeming hopelessness of the situation.

As the doors closed behind the Prince, he could finally witness first-hand what had gone on after much unseen horrors had transpired. It was a medium-sized room, empty cages dangling above him with a rocky foundation in the centre and guards with large axes standing in position, ready for any form of action.

Walking up the long staircase with guards continuing to force him on, the Prince's arms were placed in chained restraints behind a stand-alone structure on top of the rocky foundation, getting a chance to see the ominous shadowy figure in the flesh, him sitting on a chair on a higher level with two fellow guards providing much-needed nourishment, with only his disturbing red eyes viewable under his hood.

'Well, what are the odds of this happening?' the shadowy figure said in a voice that to the Prince, sounded similar enough to his own during his time in Azad. 'To be in the presence of the very person who stole everything from me and better yet, is at my mercy... Oh, I will enjoy changing you.'

'Who are you?' the Prince demanded. 'Why do you claim to be who you say you are? And what reason have you for attacking Babylon?

The shadowy figure sighed as he made a gesture that encouraged a guard to remove his hooded robe and reveal first-hand to the Prince who he was dealing with. He looked on in shock at what was revealed.

This... thing was him! It was almost like looking at a reflection in a twisted mirror as the 'Doppelganger' shared much of his appearance, only with greyed skin, blackened hair, gloves, previously-mentioned red eyes and some kind of symbol on his right cheek that reminded the Prince of the Island of Time.

'Oh come now! Don't act so surprised,' the Doppelganger commented. 'Who else would know the ins and outs of Babylon's defences? Its weaknesses? Its strategic entry points? Why of course, someone who lives there or previously did anyway.'

'You are nothing more than a mockery of my visage!' the Prince shouted out. 'Do you think me scared of a mere shadow, an imposter who deludes himself on visions of grandeur?

'But I am the true Prince of Persia,' the Doppelganger explained in a calm tone. 'You see, when you slew the Dahaka, you ended up creating me from its essence which had began to spread out back into the timestream thanks to all that time travelling we had both done during our collective quest, restoring me to life after being absorbed into the Dahaka, after you in the form of that creature leaped out of the way to let me be its next victim.'

The Doppelganger continued, 'Realizing that my fate was changed and a different version of myself had wrongfully taken my place in the timeline, I amassed an army from the Sands that remained on the island, using the Dagger of Time once again to take control of its forces and seek vengeance for the one who took everything from me!'

'And what exactly will that achieve for you?' the Prince retorted. 'You are still nothing more than a monster, a corrupted visage of a changed man!'

'Perhaps I am,' the Doppelganger angrily responded. 'But once I manage to turn you into one of my soldiers or you die during the process, it won't really matter either way. Because when you're gone, I will be the only Prince of Persia once more.'

The Prince thought the situation over quickly. If he died, at least he wouldn't be left as just another mindless slave to the whims of his paradoxical sand monster duplicate. But what of his family? The Old Man? Or even the people of Babylon? Would they be truly proud of him for making a stand against these invaders or would they be ashamed of him for creating this entire mess in the first place? _Acc__ursed Sands_, he stated within his head.

'So any last requests before you lose yourself forever to the position of a mere lapdog?' the Doppelganger taunted with malicious glee.

The Prince knew immediately what to say in the moment as he shouted, 'These are my people! This is my war! I will not be afraid!'

'That's the spirit!' the Doppelganger responded with gleeful enthusiasm as he ordered guards on the lower levels to set flames alight while he prepared the Sands needed for the full transformation process.

The Prince could only watch and later scream in horror as the flames engulfed him, leaving the next few minutes uncertain.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Experiencing unspeakable pain for what felt like an eternity, the Prince could only think of Kaileena and how much danger he had placed her in by coming back to Babylon. She could take care of herself against most threats, but against that duplicate of him with the memories and experiences he also shared? _No_, the Prince thought to himself. He would not easily succumb to the impact that the Sands were doing to his body, his very being. He would fight this corruption to his last breath, just to be reunited with her again.

Meanwhile...

As Kaileena continued to sit in her cage and fear the worst for the Prince, she decided that if she was going to have any chance at saving him, she was going to have to do it herself. Any real resistance force would be easily slaughtered by these sand creatures, likely considering any innocents restrained in this prison to be very much a lost cause.

So in that moment, she made possibly one of the most reckless choices imaginable and used the Sands within her to quickly age the cage into dust, knowing full well it would drain her vitality quickly from exhausting so much power. But she didn't care. If she was going to die, she would go out with dignity saving a fellow comrade from a far worse fate.

Getting to her feet, Kaileena paced herself carefully as she made a grab for some leftover swords on a table, equipping them and making a run for the locked door to save the Prince.

As she knocked on the door, some guards went to open it and were met with lethal wounds, as Kaileena fought off several more armed guards that gradually met the same bloody fate as all who crossed the Empress's path tended to do.

Hearing the Prince continuing to scream in agony within the flames, Kaileena quickly rushed up the staircase and generated sand whirlwinds to extinguish them, absorbing as much of the Sands into her as she could to save the Prince and hope it was not too late.

She placed a hand on his cheek and hugged him, not yet ready to let go and hoped that the Prince would return the favor for her in kind.

Thankfully, the Prince woke up but was barely alive, suffering from severe burns across his body that Kaileena made sure to heal, weakening herself all the while.

'No... don't,' the Prince managed to get out in a weakened voice. 'You're only... killing yourself by... wasting the Sands... on me.'

'It's my choice Prince,' she said. 'I've grown to appreciate you too damn much to lose you now. So hold still and allow me to restore you back to full strength.'

'Thank you,' the Prince responded. 'But I'm still trapped by these chains and...

The Prince was cut off as a powerful projectile was fired, smashing a good chunk of the upper structure backward as Kaileena barely dodged out of the way, with it narrowly missing the Prince's head. She looked up and saw the Doppelganger in a high stand, seemingly pleased to have both the Empress of Time and his mortal counterpart to dispatch.

'You,' Kaileena said. 'You are the Prince who was destined to kill me in the timeline!'

'That's right,' the Doppelganger replied. 'And needless to say, it has taken many long, arduous centuries to get to this moment. I will see your deaths at my hand if its the last thing I do!'

'Guess you'll have to wait a little longer then.' the Prince stated as he utilized his renewed strength to pull the greatly loosened chain out. It was still strongly attached to his right arm but he would deal with the problem later as he and Kaileena made a run for the exit.

'Noooo!' the Doppelganger screamed. 'Guards, cease them!'

But despite their best efforts, the guards could not keep up with their targets as the Prince and Kaileena disappeared into the vastness of Babylon's city streets.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Continuing to run through various alleys of the city streets, the Prince and Kaileena made as many turns as they could to lose their pursuers. But guard sand dogs weren't so easily fooled by their evasion tactics, remaining a persistent threat which made the current situation all the more nerve-wracking.

Spying some construction blocks near a wall up ahead, the Prince let Kaileena in on his plan as he quickly gave her a push upward in the time they had before the sand dogs would make a lunge for them, the Prince performing an upper wallrun on the blocks as Kaileena managed to catch his hand and pull him up to join her while the sand dogs continued to let out monstrous barks in futility.

Running and jumping across various rooftops, the Prince and Kaileena managed to finally lose a good majority of the guards among the maze-like structures, killing a few of the stragglers with stealthy cunning as they gave themselves some time to catch their breath as the sun began to set in the distance and turn the sky to dusk.

Deciding to set up a temporary hideout in a destroyed but relatively stable tower, they climbed to the top for some fresh air as the gigantically majestic Babel Tower continued to be displayed amongst the lower streets below with flames enduring across many areas.

'Are you alright, my Prince?' Kaileena inquired. 'Your physical wounds may have been healed. But from what I could overhear in that torture room, you seemed to be fighting the greatest battle of your life.'

'You wouldn't know the half of it,' the Prince stated. 'I endured unspeakable pain in there and could feel myself being changed... slowly but surely, into a monster.'

'But you didn't and you are all the better for it,' Kaileena said in a comforting tone, as the Prince tried his best at a reassuring facial expression while she placed a hand on his left shoulder. 'Let time run its course. Perhaps an opportunity will arise when we can destroy that imposter and may yet save this city from the brink.'

'No,' the Prince said in a reserved but desperate tone. 'There must be another way. With every moment that passes, my people are either getting captured, slaughtered or forcibly transformed into monsters to further empower my other self's formidable army. You know full well that I refuse to accept this situation lying down.'

Kaileena did a simple nod with her head in understanding as the Prince continued, 'I will not lose you. I promise I'll come back.'

'And just what do you intend to do without me by your side?' Kaileena said as she pointed in the direction of the Babel Tower. 'Walk straight in the front door of that tower and hoping for the best? We barely escaped from the Prison alive together, so how will tackling this alone improve your chances?'

'I don't know,' the Prince said in frustration. 'But if that shadow has my family and friends in his grasp, I at least want to make sure that someone I love is safe and not another pawn in his twisted game.'

'I admire your honesty Prince,' Kaileena stated in a respectful tone. 'But we both know that leaving me to fend for myself isn't a better idea either. Look around. Guards are wandering the streets below searching for us and the city continues to burn to the ground while we argue on the best course of action. So like it or not, I'm with you to the end Prince.'

The Prince let out a sigh in defeat. 'Very well then. Best we rest up while we still have the chance and reserve our energies on more pressing matters.'

Kaileena agreed in kind as they both headed back down into the inside of the destroyed tower, using leftover sandbags and carpets as makeshift pillows and sheets, temporarily escaping from the stress of their current situation as they both drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Before we start, I'd like to personally apologize to anyone reading this for the month-long wait between the last chapter and now. **

**Between suffering a bit of writers' block and general emotional baggage within my personal life, I felt it best to take a step back and recharge creatively before properly deciding to return to writing this once again. **

**And while I still don't feel back at 100%, I just couldn't put off not continuing this any longer. So I hope it doesn't impact your general enjoyment too much.**

**Now with that out of the way, let's continue...**

CHAPTER SIX

The Prince and Kaileena woke up the next morning, taking a bit of time to unstiffen their bodies from the awkward sleeping positions of the previous night before proceeding back down carefully to the lower streets and snatching some leftover market foods for the road, knowing they'd need as much energy as they could foster if they were to have any chance at getting to and defeating the Doppelganger.

Stealthily moving through the streets, they made sure to avoid confrontation unless absolutely necessary as the Prince tore off a slightly rusty but still efficient dagger from a barged-in door which evidently had been broken into by the Doppelganger's forces for whatever deluded plan he had in store for these unfortunate souls. Army growth, slavery, hired assassination... Whatever it was, the Prince knew whoever lived here had refused to go down without a fight.

He admired his new weapon closely in his right hand. It was no proper blade, but it was better than having nothing to primarily defend himself with (knowing full well that he couldn't always rely on Kaileena to get him out of trouble, the Prince knowing that she had a far greater need for the stolen Prison swords than he did).

Attaching the dagger to his belt, the Prince moved back to Kaileena's position. She appeared to be looking down from a higher street level, with her pointing out a stable nearby that could house a chariot which could get them to the Babel Tower more quickly, rather than continuing to tediously proceed on foot.

Agreeing with her, the Prince and Kaileena continued their exploration of these seemingly dead streets, dispatching the occasional guard all the while until they eventually reached their destination.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long for the duo to get their hands on a chariot with a couple horses already primed for transportation as the Prince took control of it while Kaileena held on tightly, gripping her swords with determination as she prepared herself for action. These efforts did not go completely unnoticed however as they sped past the newly-unlocked gate, a few guards shouting for reinforcements as their targets continued off into the distance.

'That was easier than expected,' the Prince commented. 'One would think powerful invaders would have more alert guards on duty in an area as secure as a stable.'

'With power comes overconfidence, my Prince,' Kaileena suggested. 'Turn right!'

The Prince immediately knew why his lover-in-arms had been correct in suggesting a slight detour, as a barricade was in the way. Making a hard right through a very cramped alley, they found themselves welcomed by soldiers standing in the middle of the streets who did what they could to either get onto their chariot or kill them with arrows from a higher position. But this all proved trivial to Kaileena as the Prince struggled to maintain a stable sense of direction while she sliced unwanted passengers or retaliated at the odd archer, by flinging a snatched enemy weapon as far as she could to take them out.

Believing they had dealt with the last of them, their relief was short-lived as an opposing chariot came down to join them from a different route, bashing into them as hard as it could in the hopes of doing his master proud.

'Try that steep dead end over there!' Kaileena pointed out to the Prince as he returned the favor to the determined assassin, bashing his chariot enough against the opposition that it was too late for the outmatched foe to alter course, slamming into the wall hard as the horses lay in a collapsed heap among a wreckage of wood and blood.

'That was close.' Kaileena said.

'Hold on!' the Prince responded as he whipped the horses and instructed them to slow down, just before the entrance to the Babel Tower streets.

Gently stroking the horses in order to calm them down, Kaileena and the Prince made their way through the tightly-squeezed crack in the slightly agape door, their next taxing challenge only just beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Continuing onward through the newly accessed section of city streets, the Prince found himself needing to stop for a quick breather (taking a few sips from an intact fountain which inexplicably continued to generate clean drinking water).

While he refreshed himself, Kaileena found herself deep in thought (knowing of her new pre-ordained fate in this altered timeline). She had refused to confront the Prince about this vision, knowing full well that he'd likely try to change her destined path yet again for her sake and sabotage any chance at restoring Babylon from the brink of destruction as a result.

No. She knew with absolute certainty that the best path forward for this world, was in her no longer continuing to remain within it. It stung Kaileena's pride hard to admit that honest fact to herself.

Back on the Island of Time, she had been just as determined as the Prince was in avoiding her fated death at his hands (going so far as to send her own loyal servant, Shahdee, to the slaughter). Shahdee had even blatantly admitted to her face that her predestined killer was too strong a fighter for even her skills to keep up with, reminded her that she had already seen everything which was destined to occur in the timeline...

As far as she had known, fate couldn't be changed, not even for an immortal goddess.

And yet, the Prince... her own identified timestream assassin, had found a way out of the dilemma they had both found themselves wrapped in, suggesting a third option that would benefit the both of them.

_Funny_, she thought. _Here__ I stand now, a warrior such as I who's come to love a mortal man, being willing to give up everything at a moment's notice for him, for what needs to be done... in order to set everything right again. _

She continued internally debating with herself. 'The old Empress would have done everything within her power to avoid such a choice, but I guess the Prince has a habit of bringing out that trait in those he meets. Even in his more formative adolescence, I was helping him from across time and space, strengthening him in whatever capacity I could provide... I've enjoyed what little time I have had and still have left with the Prince. But I don't feel I'll ever truly be ready to sacrifice myself for what needs to be done. I...'

She started to cry a bit, the Prince noticing something a little amiss as he finished rejuvenating himself through the fountain.

'Kaileena, what's wrong?' he inquired.

'It's... nothing,' she responded, quickly wiping the tears off her face. 'Let us continue on to the Babel Tower. Try to keep up!'

Kaileena started running off and jumping while the Prince found himself a little dumbstruck for a moment before proceeding to follow her.

'Hey!' he shouted. 'Whatever happened to sticking together till the end?'

The Prince let out a smile as he rushed towards Kaileena's current position, blissfully unaware of what would happen next as their inevitable clash with the Doppelganger grew ever closer.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

After many hours of traversal through the streets (eradicating any enemy that crossed their path with well-timed stealth attacks or careful avoidance of conflict altogether), the Prince and Kaileena finally found themselves a few metres near the Babel Tower's entrance, the sun setting in the background as shadows grew ever encompassing across Babylon's landscape.

But to their frustration, the Doppelganger had clearly planned their inevitable attack on the tower (as there were a surprisingly large armada of guards posted at the entrance to ward off any uninvited visitors).

Spying a few loose rocks on a nearby wall that could be used as stable footholds to climb upward towards an open window in the tower, the Prince made sure to point this out to Kaileena through subtle hand gestures (as they crept along at a reasonable pace to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention).

In the end, it was a tedious but easy process which thankfully didn't involve much bloodshed as the Prince & Kaileena found themselves in a room which resembled a servant's sleeping quarters.

The room had quite a collection of odors to generate (none of which the Prince found particularly pleasant), as they crept towards the door and put their ears to it, listening intently for any obvious signs of threats on the other side. Voices could be heard but they seemed to be coming from further downward.

'So, what are the chances that the Prince and the Empress will attempt to come storming in?' a guard could be heard saying, as the Prince quietly opened the door, Kaileena following close behind him.

'Bah! The ground patrols will find 'em soon enough!' another guard said in response. 'They can't hide or keep up their resistance forever. And when they are presented before our master, there will be nothing left to stop our global conquest.'

The guards laughed in deluded satisfaction as they remained oblivious to their targets a floor above, moving further and further from their reach.

The Prince and Kaileena advanced further up the long-winding staircase till they found themselves an elevator to take them up the rest of the way.

As they stood side-by-side ready for their inevitable confrontation with the Doppelganger, the Prince placed his right hand near the sheath which housed his borrowed dagger, primed and ready for action.

Kaileena on the other hand, was fearful of what happened next. She knew her prophesied death would happen at any moment now, but she did her best to keep up a confident facade for the Prince's sake, drawing her twin blades as she prepared herself for combat.

'Time is running low. You ready?' the Prince said.

'Yes. Let us bring this tyrant down.' Kaileena stated, as the two rushed down the empty corridors and found themselves in the throne room. It had large open supportive structures leading outdoors for its occupants to admire the city below, with large tropical plants placed meticulously near the throne.

'Son, is that you?' a familiar older male voice called out quietly from a nearby large cage containing two other occupants obscured by shadow.

To the Prince's shock, it was his parents & the old man (the latter of which had been a valuable asset in reaching the Island of Time a month ago and had also counselled him through many doubts his ever-increasing responsibilities within the royal family had brought). His paradoxical duplicate had some serious nerve to place those he loved behind bars like common animals.

'Father! Mother! What has that imposter done to you? Are any of you injured?' the Prince stated with genuine, heartfelt concern.

'We're fine my son,' Queen Mehri replied. 'A few cuts and bruises, but nothing the royal family can't recover from.'

'I see you decided not to kill the Empress of Time,' the Old Man said with a sense of knowing trepidation. 'I can only guess you've proven that fate can be changed after all.'

'Indeed Elder,' the Prince kindly stated, as Kaileena decided to scoop out the area and provide a brief sense of security in her mind while the Prince tried to use his dagger to pry the lock loose gently. But his rescue attempt was cut short as swordsmen and archers rushed into the room, surrounding the Prince as he found himself in a stalemate he couldn't fight his way out of, being far too late to pull his dagger out of the lock.

'Well, well. I figured you'd try to come here,' the Doppelganger stated in a smug tone. 'What did you expect? That I'd be in here undefended and at your mercy? Hahahaha, you deluded fool. Your compassion for others weakens you. And now that you're defenceless, I'll ensure to end your irritating existence once and for all.'

The Doppelganger made a gesture with his hand to order his forces to attack. The Prince did his best to dodge incoming attacks (even managing to pry a sword from an enemy's back during the scuffle), but there were simply too many threats to deal with at once, as some guards managed to get a few lucky shots in, weakening him all the while.

'Stop!' Kaileena shouted from the left of the ensuring conflict. 'Leave him alone! I'm the one you're really looking for parasite!'

The Doppelganger let out a sigh of annoyance as he ordered his guards to stop fighting, the Prince struggling to stand through sheer force of will.

'Ah, Empress. I was wondering where you had gone off to,' the Doppelganger said. 'Figured you would have high-tailed it back to the Island of Time to save your own skin. Zurvan knows how many generations you've been trying to fight fate.'

'Perhaps I should have,' Kaileena commented. 'But I'm tired of fighting, tired of running. It's only led to continued grief, loss and anguish of what fate has in store for me. But no more. This time, the cycle will end... by my hand.'

'Kaileena, what are you doing?' the Prince said in a worried tone, as Kaileena threw her swords to the ground.

'Do not worry, my Prince. I know exactly what needs to be done,' Kaileena said with a knowing glint in her eye. 'Whatever happens next, do not lose hope. I trust you...'

And with that, Kaileena did the unthinkable as she closed her eyes and tipped herself off the ledge, letting loose the Sands of Time contained within her body as her essence spread across Babylon.

'Kaileena! No!' the Prince screamed, as tears fell down his face in grief-fuelled anger. What happened next, seemed to occur in an instant as he became newly infected by the Sands of Time.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Unfortunately, the Prince had no time to stop and take in the full scope of the situation, having no choice but to escape from the Babel Tower and hopefully still live to fight another day with what strength he had left, making a hard dash back the way he came (managing to get a quick glance at his parents and the elder as they let out a few tears through the agonizing transformation that twisted and corrupted their features before his very eyes).

It broke the Prince's heart to see them become the very thing he had fought tooth and nail to prevent. But it was all happening again, just like in Azad seven years ago.

The Prince spied a yellow curtain he could slide down the wall from and took a chance, successfully achieving what he desired as the sword stabbed into the wall just enough to keep him stable during the descent. But he was not out of the woods yet, as the Doppelganger's forces were more than ready for him on the ground floor.

Narrowly dodging some more sword swipes, the Prince performed a vertical wallrun (putting as much energy into his legs as he could to evade incoming arrows).

The front door was newly open as the Prince ran out into the black of night, guards continuing to pursue him as several held wooden torches to better illuminate their surroundings. It took everything he had, but somehow fate rewarded him with respite.

Injuries endured during the previous battle finally made their presence known to the Prince as his adrenaline started to wear off, collapsing behind a large basket on the ground, his face narrowly avoiding a major nosebleed.

'Kaileena... was this your endgame all along?' the Prince weakly stated out loud, as he fell unconscious and knew no more.

* * *

The Prince had tortuous visions of him trying to reason with every major person he'd ever known in his life, that everything he had done was for the greater good.

King Sharaman called him unworthy for the throne, Queen Medri considered herself ashamed of his actions, Farah scolded him for leaving her to die, The Old Man believed him a fool that couldn't accept the world for what it was... Even Malik, his deceased older brother, mocked him for his youthful arrogance as he turned into the Dahaka and made a lunge as the Prince screamed, holding his arms out in front of him as some form of defence against the monster.

'Do not give up hope.' a familiar voice stated to the Prince, as he found himself no worse for wear standing on a stone formation with three wooden bridges connected to it and an engraved yellow spiral at the center of where he stood, naturally formed rocky structures surrounding this mysteriously suspended magical void.

The left and right directions proved unhelpful as the Prince found himself teleported back into the middle as if he had never moved at all.

'This all feels oddly familiar,' the Prince said to himself as he decided to walk down the middle path, amazed by how it all looked as a giant hourglass continuously span sand infinitely. That's when he realized exactly where he was.

'I remember this place from my time in Azad. Granted it appears to have changed greatly since that time, but still. I thought it was all a dream, destroying weak walls in the palace that immediately repaired themselves, seemingly as if they were never there to begin with...'

The Prince continued, 'Drinking from those strange fountains I discovered, I felt myself being lifted up by an invisible force and an unknown entity with the voice of a goddess stating incomprehensible but soothing words that rejuvenated me... made me stronger as I journeyed with Farah to stop the Vizier and undo my great mistake that led me down the path I'm on now... Or was on anyway.'

But this only made the Prince question his predicament even more. How did he come to be here? This was evidently no heaven or hell as he'd imagined it. But at the same time, he didn't feel like he was dead.

Traversing up the long staircase, he found himself facing a small fountain.

'Drink and remember.' There was that familiar voice again.

'Hello?' the Prince called out. 'Is anyone here? Show yourself, that I might thank you for saving my life... So very peculiar. I wonder if Razia has... No. It is foolish to believe such things are even possible.'

Having no other choice, the Prince proceeded to drink from the fountain whose symbol looked eerily similar to that of the Amulet on his armor chest piece and felt himself becoming detached from his body in an almost dream-like fashion as that voice stated pretty clearly in his mind, 'Remember the power of time.'

The Prince felt a great momentary pain in his skull as he finally remembered one of his older abilities previously granted to him by the Sands of Time. If he concentrated hard enough, he could undo any grave mistake on his part by turning back the clock to a point he was safe. But he had to be careful, as there was only so many times he could utilize this ability without having to obtain more of the sands. Stating confidently to himself, the Prince confirmed to himself, 'I remember now!'

* * *

The Prince could hear voices chatting in the background as he gradually opened his eyes, eventually finding himself on a comfy bed with a candle by the bedside and a child sleeping with his arms on top of a chair nearby.

'Oh good, you're finally awake. Told you he was alive Darius. The poor dear just needed to be nursed back to health'. An older female stated.

'Thank Brahma for that. Would have proved to be a wasted effort if resistance members only brought us back another corpse,' a masculine-sounding male voice confirmed, with subtle distaste. 'At this point, we need all the soldiers we can get. Even if it means the living reflection of that monstrous dictator, has to be among our ranks.'

'Now Darius, that isn't fair,' the older female voice disapprovingly replied. 'Sharaman's son is Persian royalty and would serve as a huge boost to the Resistance's overall morale. You know full well the surviving citizens of Babylon need some degree of hope to keep them strong in these dangerous times.'

'Well, I'd prefer to hear that straight from the source rather than someone who tries to distract children from the horrors outside with fairytales instead of seeing things as they are Asha,' Darius stubbornly retorted.

The Prince couldn't believe it. He was actually seeing two people he didn't dare expect to be alive nor was he ready to hear what happened next.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

As the Doppelganger looked down upon Babylon from the safety of the Babel Tower, he couldn't help but have his mind wander.

It felt good to see Kaileena sacrifice herself in order to preserve the life of his pathetic mortal self for a few more measly moments and gain full access to the Sands dispersed throughout Babylon as a result of that faulty decision. It would take a few days, maybe weeks for his mages to draw it back towards the hourglass to be sure.

But so long as the Prince continued to live, there was still a serious threat to his rule and the last thing the Doppelganger wanted was for the citizens of Babylon to start rising up and opposing his forces.

Yet after succeeding at one of his primary goals he'd waited so long to achieve, a feeling still tugged deeply at his heart. Perhaps it was the scraps of his former humanity springing to the surface or maybe something more?

For all of his committed monstrous atrocities, for all the battles he had to endure to survive on the Island of Time as an outcast abomination who fought his way through the surviving ranks to become their new leader... he was still human deep down, wasn't he?

Granted he looked like something out of a child's nightmares, but he also shared a lot of the same memories & experiences as his mortal counterpart undoubtedly did. He remembered all those he'd fought beside, those he had loved... It almost tore him up inside to have to relive those memories he'd long thought were buried.

'No!' he shouted defiantly. 'I'm doing what's right. And once I kill the Prince, I will bring him to his knees. Then, as I stifle that last bit of light from his eyes, the world will know for certain who is the rightful Prince of Persia. With him gone, perhaps I can finally move forward and have my centuries of torment finally brought to rest. A shame Kaileena couldn't be easily coerced to my side. I can imagine there's a great deal I would have gleamed from her... if only matters weren't so complicated.'

The Doppelganger got brought back to reality as one of his loyal servants, Mahasti, entered the throne room. Her appearance was that of a concubine at first glance with combat attire to match that was a strange mix of purple and white in color scheme. But underneath the shallow facade was an expert fighter who had mastered her preferred weaponry with style and finesse that very few could match.

'My lord,' she inquired. 'Has there been any news as to the whereabouts of yo... that mortal imposter?' Mahasti nearly bit her tongue as she managed to catch herself just in the nick of time.

She knew full well that her master loathed being compared in any open capacity to the Prince (having witnessed several soldiers pay the price for their poor choice of words with their lives).

'I'm afraid not Mahasti,' the Doppelganger responded, his back still to her as he didn't even give a passing glance to acknowledge Mahasti's presence in the room. 'I know you've got your own reasons for wanting to hunt him down, but remember where you stand my dear. No one kills that conniving bastard but me. Is that understood?

'Yes... my lord. A thousand apologies my lord.' Mahasti responded.

'Oh and before you go, could you please escort our new general to his living quarters,' the Doppelganger said. 'Despite a successful transformation, he's still having trouble with knowing where he needs to be at all times. And I'd just hate to have such natural talent go to waste over a minor... misunderstanding.'

Mahasti only gave a snide grunt in return as she left the throne room and once again, left the Doppelganger to his own thoughts.

'I know you're out there somewhere Prince,' the Doppelganger said to himself, as he looked out at the full moon displayed in the sky. 'And when we do get a chance to reunite and duel to the death, it will be on my terms. And without the Empress to support you, there will be NO second chances.'

The Doppelganger displayed a satisfyingly smug grin across his face as he continued to stare off into the night.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

'So you mean to tell me you've been at this for months now and not once, thought to save the royal family from the invaders?' the Prince responded with justified anger towards Darius. 'I've fought many a warrior, but to not preserve such strong allies who would only benefit your cause in the long term... I feel nothing but genuine disgust for you.'

'Hey, be grateful that my men managed to find you barely alive in the streets at all, Prince. We could very well have left you for dead instead, much like that former female compatriot of yours.' Darius said with unsympathetic resolve. 'We fight to save who we can and in this war, its kill or be killed.'

The Prince went absolutely livid and pinned Darius against the wall as background soldiers and Asha could only watch in stunned horror. 'How dare you, you stubborn, pig-headed charlatan! Do you possess so little empathy, so little humanity, that nothing but a good battle matters to you? Imagine if your sister Farah were in the position Kaileena put herself in. Would you not seek to avenge their memory by doing what you can to save others from a similar fate?'

'Don't you dare bring my sister into this!' Darius boomed. 'I do what I can, holding back this plague in order to prevent the rest of the world from falling alongside Babylon. If they were to reach India, I don't know how I would live with myself if...'

The Prince cut him off as Asha placed a frail but gentle hand on one of his, non-verbally signalling him to let go of Darius, which he did with great reluctance.

'I was like you once,' the Prince said, his back to everyone in the room. 'Being young and full of pride. Always trying to prove how good I was to my father as I engaged in one battle after another, simply for the honor and glory of it all.'

The Prince then turned to face his fellow compatriots as he continued, 'But after many adventures spent exploring various strange and unusual continents throughout the world, I eventually came to realize something. A true warrior fights for something other than himself and that's what I intend to do, in order to honor Kaileena's memory and ensure that her sacrifice was not all for nothing.'

The Prince requested a sword from one of the surviving Persian soldiers present who did what was instructed as he was ready to set off and do this battle on his own.

'Wait!' a young boy cried to the Prince as he headed straight for the door, grabbing his hand. He had brown hair and looked no older than fourteen, possessing a decent build for his age in spite of evidently having to live on the streets. 'Please Sire, stay and reconsider. The grown-up numbers have been going down at an alarming rate. Your presence here is the best news all of us have received in a long time. Without you, I fear what will become of us if those creatures eventually find us. Please... don't leave!'

As the child started to cry, holding onto the Prince's hand with both of his own now, the Prince decided to humor the young man's request and crouched down to his level, his left leg in a standing bent position as he placed his right hand on the child's shoulder. 'Very well, I will stay for a moment longer. What is your name?'

'It is Ervin,' he responded, as he released his grip on the Prince's hand to wipe his face of tears. 'Asha has... told stories about you to us, about how you vanquished great beasts entire armies couldn't hope to defeat. Stopping great tyrants who would seek to do harm to the world before leaving for another adventure, utilizing various tools and potions in your quests...'

'OK, I believe Asha has slightly over exaggerated my exploits to you Ervin,' the Prince admitted. 'Now run along and be with your friends.'

'I will. Thank you again Sire,' Ervin said as he rushed into the back, closing the door behind him.

Asha smiled at the Prince as everyone gathered around a circular table with maps of the city on full display as they began to discuss what they intended to do for restoring order back to Babylon once again.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

As the Prince climbed up a guard watchtower through one of the Resistance's secret paths in an old sewer (having had to contend with some of the local residents which had become infected by the Sands during Kaileena's initial sacrifice in the form of large, newly carnivorous lizards and bats a moment earlier), he reflected on the plan discussed back at the hideout.

Darius pointed at various areas on the maps scattered across the table as he laid out what he knew to the Prince and their collective forces, 'So if we approach the Lower City through this entry point, we can bypass patrols usually located down the following route here and reach the Coliseum without having to engage in conflict too regularly, where a large number of uninfected citizens are known to be housed.'

'No doubt for my duplicate's greater plans in taking over the rest of the known continents once we're out of the picture,' the Prince responded. 'But why keep a number of them away from the Prison, alive and unchanged? It doesn't make any sense.'

'Our sources tell us they are used as 'nourishment' for some kind of great beast who's taken up residence there, since your 'other' took over Babylon,' Darius confirmed. 'I don't expect this to be an easy mission, but... with you here among our ranks now Prince, I 'suppose' there's a slight chance of us succeeding than failing altogether.'

'That's 'kind' of you to state to the rest of the Resistance Darius,' the Prince responded in an equally slight passive-aggressive tone. 'But there's also the matter of these old cannons placed throughout the Coliseum, according to these map co-ordinate details. What reason would my duplicate have to house such artillery there?'

'Your guess is as good as mine,' Darius said. 'But either way, this would prove a major setback to your 'other's' forces. So I propose we set off at nightfall and house up shop in one of our other safehouses near this location here.'

'Very well. I will meet with you all there,' the Prince confirmed. 'I will take one of your shortcuts through the sewers here and ensure that there aren't any unexpected surprises before nightfall. Any questions men?'

The fellow Persian soldiers shook their heads, understanding what their major roles entailed.

'Good. Get some sleep now. Believe me, you're going to need it. Dismissed.'

As the Prince was getting ready to set off, Asha managed to stop him at the entrance.

'Prince?' Asha questioned.

'Yes, kind Asha?' the Prince replied. 'Is everything alright with the children under your care?'

'Most certainly, but that's not what I wish to discuss with you about.' she confirmed. 'Are you sure its wise to just go wandering off on your own again without some support? Not to dismiss your combat prowess, but there are strength in numbers after all, young Prince.'

'I understand your concern Asha,' the Prince stated sympathetically. 'But this is not my first invasion nor is it likely to be my last. Believe me, I'll be fine.'

'Very well. I suppose I can't stop you from doing what needs to be done,' Asha relented. 'But be careful. For each hour that passes, your shadow likely plots a workaround to keep his overall plan on schedule.'

'Thanks for the advice.' the Prince neutrally expressed, as he started proceeding down a secret hallway as the hidden door closed behind him, Asha resigning herself to worry as she returned to be with the children.

Back in the present, the Prince managed to reach the top of the tower and properly survey his surroundings. Admiring the view, it astounded him just how far he needed to go in order to earn a second chance at properly dealing with the Doppelganger, the Babel Tower seeming almost unreachable from where he was standing.

But he knew saving his people was the first priority and if it meant setting back his duplicate's grander plans a great deal, it would make the inevitable rematch much less daunting and all the sweeter.

Spying guards setting up chariots for transportation between various sectors of Babylon's city streets, the Prince braced himself as he carefully slid down the close wall inclines to the ground below, dealing with opposing forces silently as he set off for the Babylon Coliseum.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Traversing through the Lower City streets, the Prince found the unwavering stillness to be almost unsettling (narrowly avoiding death by unstable ground or mistimed acrobatics several times, his regained Rewind ability proving invaluable in learning from numerous missteps).

But there had been no sign of any guards or creatures to drain contained Sands from for the past fifteen minutes and with no stored Sand Tanks left to draw from at the present time, the Prince was starting to feel especially vulnerable. _Perhaps it would have been best __to follow Asha's advice and bring a fellow soldier along for a bit of company_, he thought.

Watching an unaware Prince from afar, a mysterious being viewed his movements with great interest. Everything was going exactly as planned and perhaps, there was still a chance that this resilient foe could be turned to their leader's cause...

What happened to the Prince next, proved especially detrimental. Archers surrounded him from above and with no Sands to turn back time, he could only attempt to run for cover as fire arrows continued to be aimed not at him, but the surrounding environment (closing off a number of exits as the Prince became entrapped by the ever-growing flames).

The mysterious being made their presence known, the Prince being shocked to discover it was the Old Man, now completely corrupted by the Sands of Time.

He looked like a twisted angel sent down from the heavens, with wings that encompassed a lot of what was viewable behind him, a mixture of yellow and black colors proving striking against the flames.

'I knew you'd come, young Prince,' the Elder mocked. 'With my renewed insight, I can see a multitude of possible outcomes and react accordingly to any move made by those I choose to focus my attention on. Oh, and do not even think of running back the way you came.'

'Stop this!' the Prince shouted. 'Elder, you can fight this corruption. Remember the many trials you guided me through, all the conflicts you coerced me out of for the greater good... Please, I do not wish to harm you.'

'Your pleas fall on deaf ears, Prince!' the Elder stated, as he ordered the perched archers to resume aiming fire arrows while preparing the necessary Sands for the transformation ritual. 'Now, prepare to join our cause anew or die!'

The Prince continued trying to rewind time back, knowing how fruitless his actions were as the enchanted flames edged ever closer to his person and encompassed him within its cruel touch, the familiar feeling of corruption overwhelming him as he screamed in pain as his features visibly transformed before the Elder's eyes, a twinge of humanity struggling to fight through the corruption as he let out an unseen tear at seeing his pupil fall to the Sands of Time's power.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In the end, it did not take long for the Prince's transformation to become complete as he reappeared under a new form, his appearance being something more akin to a demon as his full head of hair was replaced with blackened flames, skin completely burnt-looking as large red cosmetic cracks encompassed several areas of his body, with blue glowing eyes and greyish rags replacing the dangling fabrics attached to his armor.

All seemed lost for Babylon, as the corrupted Elder seemed proud with his efforts. At last, there were no major threats left for his master to deal with and he had a brand new lieutenant to add to his ranks as well. Perhaps he might even get a raise and rid himself of these persistent memory fragments that continued to try and fight back against the corruptive influence of the Sands of Time forever.

The Elder did what he could to keep these fleeting parts of his former humanity in check, but it seemed as if the Prince's words of desperation had managed to strengthen these leftovers enough, to gain back control over the physical body for a moment.

_It hardly matters now, weaker half. Your pupil is among our ranks and there's nothing you can do about it._

But things aren't always as they seem, as the newly-birthed Dark Prince proceeded to strike back at his 'allies' in a blind rage, managing to get a successful slice at the Elder's body (which took him completely off-guard as he took to the skies once more, in an attempt to escape from the monster he had brought upon this world).

'Why are you running away? Don't you wish to stay and admire your work, old friend?' the Dark Prince mocked, as he proceeded to chase the Elder from the ground below.

The Dark Prince continued to keep up good pace, even dispatching other threats that got in the way of his prey with his newly-enhanced chain, spinning it around expertly whilst dodging counterattacks as if they were nothing.

'This power... is intoxicating!' the Dark Prince commented. 'No more fatigue, no more need to fear for my own mortality, no more human weakness!'

But the Prince's own will fought back against the Sands' corrupting influence. 'No, this is madness! What am I becoming? I... will not... let this contagion... use me for such... inhumane actions!'

Desperately trying to hold onto his humanity, the Dark Prince made a mad dash for the streets (hoping to find some way to reverse the corruption and fast).

He spied innocents being dragged away from their homes, by soldiers that intended to use and twist them into puppets to serve the will of their master. Just like what the Elder had intended to make him into.

'No more suffering! I can stop this!' the Dark Prince shouted, as he threw his chain at a nearby pole, using it to swing across to a closed-in wall that he carefully slid down to the streets below.

Guards obliviously presumed the Dark Prince to be their new general, which greatly proved their undoing as he slew them and ordered the civilians to flee, not even sticking around to hear their feelings of eternal gratitude as he made it his current goal to hunt down and slay the Elder (or whatever monstrosity he had become), for what he had done to him as he rushed down the streets.

More guards and dogs stood in front of them to protect the Elder who fled upon giving them instructions, but the Dark Prince only displayed a satisfied grin as he prepared for combat.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Dark Prince traversed further into the depths of the Lower City, an endless rush of adrenaline continuing to enhance his corrupted body as he felt his empathy and sense of morals gradually erode away piece by piece.

He had to find the Elder soon, but even if he did manage to slaughter his equally powerful corrupted form, what hope would he have of transforming back by merely eradicating the original source of his rebirth? These thoughts continued to plague his mind. But if he was going to have any chance of survival, distracting one's self with very real fears wasn't going to make the chances of finding his target any more fortunate.

It was then that the Dark Prince spied a pool of fresh water out in the open nearby. He noticed that he didn't feel any overwhelming desire for food or water in this corrupted form, but even a small drink would help to potentially cleanse his dry throat and help to refresh his perspective in some capacity.

Hopping into the pool, a miraculous transformation started to occur as the Dark Prince felt a soothing tingle across his entire body, magic surrounding him as those 'dark' thoughts started subsiding in general impact from his mind, his body quickly returning to normal.

Rising partially soaked from the pool, the Prince looked at his reflection in the water and was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of a normal-looking face which smiled back at him. Unfortunately, his chained arm only served as a grim reminder of the severity of the situation he was now in.

'So water can subdue this transformation? Guess my duplicate failed to take into account how much running water is still flowing across the city,' the Prince said to himself. 'And if I can hazard a safe guess, getting immersed once again in fire will return me to my corrupted form if my glowing right arm is anything to go by. Best I use this new power sparingly. Who knows how many times my willpower can hold this new transformation in check, before I lose myself entirely to madness.'

Resuming his quest with renewed vigor, the Prince performed a number of acrobatics to get from one area to the next, finally managing to come across the Elder in some lower street below.

Timing his movements carefully, the Prince got increasingly closer until the Elder's enhanced perceptive ability to glimpse into the future spoiled the element of surprise as his diving strike from above narrowly missed, the Prince managing to stab an unlucky guard in the gut with his sword instead as he got up from the now-dead grunt.

'So you've somehow found a way to return to your normal appearance,' the Elder said. 'A minor inconvenience, but it matters not. Killing you will satisfy our true Prince too.'

'Very well. If this is the path you've chosen,' the Prince replied, as he raised his sword up, 'I'll oblige you with the cold embrace of death.'

And so the two fought, the Elder's focussed visions of possible future outcomes proving especially troublesome for the Prince to counter, having to rewind a few times to avoid a grisly fate himself. Fighting like a warrior was doing him no good here. He needed to come up with a different plan, if he was going to have any chance at defeating the Elder in this monstrous state.

Deciding to risk it, the Prince attempted to appeal to the Elder's humanity once more, reminding him of other cherished moments whilst continuing to dodge incoming blows from his opponent.

'Remember when you... suggested a most exotic gift to present to... my mother at her... party. I would have gone with... mere plants imported from a faraway land. But you... suggested some special oils from your personal collection, which my... mother loved a great deal. Tell me... the man I respect a great deal... is still somewhere... inside that twisted body.'

That was when the Prince noticed something. The Elder's mannerisms were changing... to a personality he was more familiar with.

'My Prince... Please kill me... Kill me and you can end this battle... here and now...' the Elder's voice struggled to get out, fighting back his darker impulses. 'Climb to the top of... that batch of... baskets over there... If you can perform a good leap off the wall... you can get to me... and... end this!'

'I'll do it,' the Prince said. 'Hold back your corrupted temptations just a little longer Elder. I'll make it mercifully quick.'

'Please... hurry,' the Elder expressed with increased strain. 'I don't... know how much... longer I can... hold him back.'

* * *

Light Path

The Prince did as instructed, stabbing the Elder in the chest, forcing him to the ground as sand essence started leaking out of his body. 'I'm sorry. If only it didn't have to end this way.'

Unexpectedly to the Prince, a surprising amount of Sand essence got absorbed into the Amulet as he felt a great pain in his skull, learning a new power to help him further in his quest.

'I can... see into the future, much like I did in Azad so many years ago...' The Prince didn't manage to get much out, before he saw snapshots of what could end up happening to him in the not too-distant future. Visions of himself completely corrupted and turning the world into a haven for monsters, another where the Doppelganger successfully defeated him and a final vision showing both him and the Doppelganger at a crossroads on the Babel Tower. Whatever decision he made, would lead to greater implications for Babylon's survival going forward.

'Please... do calm yourself, my Prince. You don't have to fight this battle alone,' a familiar voice inside his head stated.

'What? Who is there?' the Prince stated out loud in confusion.

'Perhaps its best I show you,' the voice said in return, as the Prince noticed his vision becoming increasingly blurry, rushing to nearby baskets for cover from enemies that might attack him in the meantime, until he finally fell unconscious.

* * *

Dark Path

The Prince did as instructed, stabbing the Elder in the chest and forcing him to the ground as sand essence started leaking out of his body. 'Die you twisted aversion!' With determination, the Prince sliced the Elder's head off.

Unexpectedly to the Prince, a surprising amount of Sand essence got absorbed into the Amulet as he felt a great pain in his skull, learning a new power to help him further in his quest.

'I can... see into the future, much like I did in Azad so many years ago...' The Prince didn't manage to get much out, before he saw snapshots of what could end up happening to him in the not too-distant future. Visions of himself completely corrupted and turning the world into a haven for monsters, another where the Doppelganger successfully defeated him and a final vision showing both him and the Doppelganger at a crossroads on the Babel Tower. Whatever decision he made, would lead to greater implications for Babylon's survival going forward.

'Now that the Elder is dead, Darius can lead the Resistance into gradually taking back Babylon from my paradoxical shadow. Best I move quickly... Who knows how long I have, before they start making an attack on the Coliseum.'

And with that, the Prince was unknowingly setting himself on a darker path of retribution. Whether he would realize this or not, was something left to the hand of fate itself.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Light Path

The Prince groaned as he gradually opened his eyes and got to his feet, only to find himself back in the mysterious magical void once more, the distinct hourglass standing out amongst the bleak scenery.

Before he could stop to contemplate his sudden return, he got startled by the voice that had seemingly drawn him back into this realm. It was the Old Man, visibly looking in good spirits despite the Prince knowing he'd been forced to kill his corrupted form moments prior.

'Elder?! But I thought you were no longer among the living? What are you doing here?' the Prince stated with great relief.

'Alas my Prince, I am technically among the deceased now,' the Old Man responded in a calm, almost fatherly tone. 'But when you chose to slay me with dignity, something truly unexpected happened. With the Sands that were escaping from the opened wound, I could feel my soul being dragged out of what was formally my own body and into that amulet upon your person. Hence, I find myself here, a new resident inside your head.'

'Wait? We're having this conversation within my own mind?!' the Prince said. 'But how is that even possible?'

'Your guess is as good as mine,' the Old Man replied. 'But regardless of the circumstances that brought us here, it appears fate has afforded me a second chance... to at least help you in stopping that shadow from doing any more damage to the world. Perhaps even redeem what I've had a small part in creating.'

The Prince said nothing, looking away from the elder as he struggled to look at his friend in the same light as he once did.

'I can understand your reluctance to hear the words of one who so distastefully deceived you,' the Old Man said with heartfelt sympathy. 'It is because of me that the corruption has now spread itself into you. But it is also due to my shared presence within your mindscape, that this corruption hasn't already started to manipulate your every waking thought. See for yourself.'

Turning around, the Prince was horrified to see the elder's words were true and saw the Dark Prince contained within a floating hourglass above, that the Old Man brought down lower for a better look with strange arm movements.

'By the gods themselves!' the Prince stated with renewed horror.

The Dark Prince fruitlessly attempted to intimidate the Prince from within his containment as he maliciously responded, 'Or a potential god in the making. Why are you listening to the words of this decrepit, old fool? It's because of him that I now exist and will make things better for you too, if you'd simply leave your durable strength of will at the door and allow me more control over your body in the physical world.'

'I will never willingly submit to your silver-tongued lies parasite!' the Prince said in retaliative outrage. 'The Elder may have made mistakes, but he's also displayed great remorse for what he's done. You on the other hand, openly expressed grand plans of taking all that power for undoubtedly selfish and monstrous gain. I honestly have no reason to trust what you have to say, after you almost made me do unspeakable deeds to innocent lives!'

The Old Man smiled, knowing that he successfully managed to get through to the Prince and greatly weaken the Dark Prince's hold over him for now.

And as the Dark Prince's containment was newly lifted up into the black void above, the Prince and Old Man could hear the corruptive alter-ego spouting out particularly venomous vocabulary that only served to prove to the Prince, how much of a deluded child the Sands made him sound without any degree of morals or humanity to keep him in check.

'Thank you for willing to stop and listen to what I have to say Prince,' the Old Man said. 'It is a relief to know that all that time spent away on the Island of Time, has not completely eroded you.'

'Forget it. It was a mere pleasantry,' the Prince said. 'Now in regards to our continued alliance for the foreseeable future, I think we should start calling you something more deserving of such a position. Tell me Elder, what is your true name?'

'It is... Zurvan.' the Old Man responded.

'Named after the Lord of Time himself?' the Prince stated.

'A certainly fitting name considering the circumstances, wouldn't you think Prince?' the Old Man jokingly commented.

'Very well then. It is good to have you by my side once again during a time of crisis... Zurvan.' the Prince said as he bent down slightly and gently placed a hand on the Old Man's shoulder.

'So... how do you propose I get out of here and wake up back in the city streets?' the Prince questioned. 'There isn't exactly an obvious exit in here either.'

'Might I suggest drinking from that fountain over there?' Zurvan answered, his back turned to the Prince as he sat on a figment in the form of a chair, concentrating his energies on containing the Dark Prince. 'And don't worry. So long as I am here, I will use every bit of strength I have to hold your darker personality at bay.'

'Thank you.' the Prince said, as he proceeded up the staircase to the mysterious fountain once again. But just as he was prepared to start drinking...

'Drink and remember.' It was that familiar voice again.

'Zurvan, did you hear that?' the Prince inquired.

'Hear what?' Zurvan said, 'Only thing I 'heard' as it were, was your silly comments. Now please, return to the physical world and resume your journey.'

'_That is odd. Surely the Elder... I mean Zurvan, should have been able to hear this mysterious voice as well __from within here__,'_ the Prince thought. But these lingering questions could be dealt with another time, as he began drinking from the fountain (this time generating the symbol of a hourglass above it).

'Remember the Eye of the Storm,' the mysterious voice eloquently said.

And as the Prince drank, he felt himself being lifted up off the ground once more, feeling detached from everything for the moment. It wasn't long before that all-too familiar pain in his skull flared up, as he remembered how to slow down the flow of time for everything that surrounded him (akin to moving about in a pool of mud), while he continued to move about completely unencumbered during its effects. As always, access to this power was limited only by the amount of Sands stocked up within the amulet. So he had to use it only for situations that desperately required its chrono capabilities.

* * *

Waking up once again (this time as proper flesh and blood), the Prince could overhear chatter from unaware guards who were examining the remnants of his previous battle.

'What happened here?' one guard said obliviously. 'The Elder... defeated? A mass squadron of soldiers slaughtered en masse. Who would be so capable of defiling our King's rule?'

'That would be the mortal man standing before you now,' the Prince said. 'Apologies for the mess, but these allies of yours were spoiling the mood.'

'It's the Prince!' another guard shouted. 'Catch him, so he can be brought before the King!'

'You're welcome to try.' the Prince cockily commented as he pulled out his sword, ready for a fight.

After defeating the four guards, the Prince placed his sword back in its hilt, a few nasty sword slashes received (but nothing too serious that couldn't be resolved with a few necessary supplies from the Resistance).

'Best I hurry now and get to Darius & the Resistance members,' the Prince said to himself. 'Wouldn't want to miss out on a raid as big as this!'

And as the Prince raced off into the unknown, Zurvan could only smile from the depths of the Prince's mind. Unknown to the Prince, he was following the path that would ensure Babylon's renewed hope, so long as he kept the corruption subdued and guided him wisely along his journey.

Whether he knew it or not however, the Dark Prince continued to plot and scheme from his containment, knowing the old fool could not keep up this resilience forever.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Dark Path

The Prince made his way through the streets, his renewed confidence during battle seemingly drawn from an endless emotional well, as he slaughtered one threat after another on the way to the Resistance's secret safehouse within this section of the city. Every now and then, a well-aimed enemy counter managed to land a lucky blow on the Prince. But it was nothing a quick rewind couldn't fix, as he adapted to the formerly successful counter move and slew the perpetrator in cold blood.

The sun began to set once he finally arrived at the safehouse, earlier than expected (the Prince carefully examining his surroundings before deciding to enter).

Wallrunning into a vacant window above him, the Prince made himself comfortable as he waited what felt like an eternity for Darius and the Resistance forces to arrive.

A few hours went by, but Darius and a number of Resistance soldiers arrived, unlocking the door to the startling of the Prince (who woke up from a much-deserved nap).

'Was wondering when you'd get here,' the Prince stated with an almost inpatient tone. 'I could have freed the trapped citizens a thousand fold, in the time it took for you all to get here.'

Seemingly ignoring the comment, Darius stated with business-like authority, 'It seems you live up to your reputation, Prince. We didn't encounter many active enemy forces on the streets, only having a few close calls... Well done.'

'Oh, it was nothing,' the Prince sarcastically responded. 'Just more battles for the historical records.'

'Sire! What has happened to your arm?' a soldier commented. 'That doesn't look normal!'

'It.. is nothing,' the Prince lied, as he looked it over. 'Just a distinct battle scar from a monster that attempted to turn me over to their side on the way here. But I showed them why you do not want to make enemies of Persian royalty and... ended him.'

A number of soldiers sounded very impressed by this story, but Darius was not so easily convinced. Something was off with the Prince that stood before him, but he knew there was no way to prove it without something more viable than a gut feeling. And right now, there were more important matters to deal with.

Resigning himself, Darius ordered the soldiers to deal with whatever bodily function required their immediate attention, before everyone stealthily traversed down the next few streets to the Coliseum under the cover of darkness.

Arriving at the gates, the Prince and Darius snuck up on two unaware threats, dispatching them silently as the Resistance soldiers did the same accordingly. It was then upon entering, that they saw moving portions of a great beast which had previously been known as nothing more than a local rumor, at one of the many entrance corridors to the arena proper while it seemingly reached down and snacked on some kind of food (as torches lit the Coliseum arena in portions of orange light).

The Prince had a good idea of what that food source was and he had to hold back the temptation to empty his stomach's contents.

Everyone quickly took cover in the shadows provided by the corridors, as they tried to come up with a new battle strategy on the fly.

'What do we do now?' one soldier nervously stated quietly. 'There's no way we would stand a chance against that... thing!'

'I have one,' the Prince said, as he started to jog away and activate the switch for the door supports, locking off Darius and the Resistance soldiers from following him in for the time being.

'Dammit!' Darius stated in subdued frustration. 'What does he hope to achieve by going in and fighting this battle alone? Argh, follow me men. Perhaps we can use those cannons to lend that hot-headed prince some support.'

Looking up at the giant beast, the Prince could see this creature for what it truly was. It looked uncannily human, possessing a large exposed gut that stood out among the pitiful amounts of armor attached to its person and a sword the size of a tower, currently stabbed into the ground.

It didn't take long for the monster to notice him as it got to its feet, raised its sword and was about ready to slice the Prince in half.

Narrowly dodging out of the way of the incoming blow, the Prince ran around the arena and spied some wooden beams he could climb. But this creature wasn't so foolish enough to simply allow him to gain the home-field advantage and knew that so long as it could keep the Prince on the ground, it was only a matter of time before he would be another morsel of food for the monster to feast upon.

Putting his regained ability to slow down the flow of time to good use, the Prince made a mad dash for the walls, running along it as he caught the wooden beams (just as the Sands' effects wore off). Continuing to climb, the Prince could now see the monster's face in greater detail. Dried blood was displayed across its upper body, its eyes displaying an unnerving sense of bloodlust (as it attempted to reach its open hand out and grab the quick Prince).

Backflipping out of the reach of the arm, the monster suddenly roared in pain as it turned around to find the source of its discomfort. The Prince could see a spiked cannonball jabbed into the creature's back, which could only mean Darius and the Resistance members had managed to get to the stored artillery.

Ensuring not to waste this opportunity, the Prince made a huge leap and landed on the beast's left shoulder, stabbing it with his sword for some stability support.

Enraged, the monster attempted to grab him. But with hardened determination, the Prince quickly pulled out the sword and sliced at the creature's hand, causing it to cry out in further pain as he ran onto its head and stabbed his sword into one of its eyes, blinding it partially as the Prince landed back on the ground while the creature crouched down to tend to its wounded vision.

The beast let out an unnerving roar, before being newly pelted by spiked cannonballs from Darius and the Resistance in the upper levels. Turning its attention back towards them, it raised its sword and sliced at where it believed the disturbance was originally, destroying two of the cannons during the scuffle.

Fortunately, the Resistance members had made sure to make a run for it to a different position, adrenaline making them go at speeds that a few didn't ever believe they could go.

With this, the Prince proceeded to attack the monster's flabby legs, slicing as quick as he could, blood pouring from the wounds as the creature collapsed on the ground, the pain too much for it to still stand.

'Now! Finish him while it's down!' a soldier cried out to the Prince, the Prince clinging his blood-covered sword with great strength as he moved quickly to the creature's face and stabbed the sword into the creature's other eye, forcing it in until the monster's cries of pain ceased and it finally died.

Pulling the sword out of the eye socket, the Prince moved his weapon about several times to clear it of as much blood as he could. Satisfied with the results, he returned his sword to its hilt.

The arena doors all opened up, as the Prince rejoined the Resistance members on the ground floor in the arena.

'What were you thinking!' Darius shouted to the Prince. 'Running head-on into battle against such a threat, was a reckless and seriously life-threatening tactic. I'm actually amazed you weren't killed!'

'I still slaughtered this creature, didn't I?' the Prince responded in frustration. 'It was no tougher than many of the other threats I've come across in my travels.'

'You have no idea what's really at stake, do you?' Darius angrily retaliated. 'If you die, any hope left in stopping this plague is well and truly gone. Make sure to remember that, Prince. Or it will truly be the death of us all.'

As Darius walked off, the Prince followed after a bit, silently fuming over the stubbornness of this man. Who did he think he was, instructing him in ways akin to communicating with a small child? When this was all over, the Prince hoped to never have to deal with Darius again as the Resistance proceeded down to the lower levels and free uninfected prisoners from their forced captivity over the next few hours to various safehouses.

Light Path

The Prince made his way through the streets, his renewed confidence during battle seemingly drawn from an endless emotional well as he slaughtered one threat after another, on the way to the Resistance's secret hideout within this section of the city. Every now and then, a well-aimed enemy counter managed to land a lucky blow on the Prince. But it was nothing a quick rewind couldn't fix, as he adapted to the formerly successful counter move and slew the perpetrator in cold blood.

The sun began to set once he finally arrived at the hideout, earlier than expected (the Prince carefully examining his surroundings before deciding to enter).

Wallrunning into a vacant window above him, the Prince made himself comfortable as he waited for Darius and the Resistance forces to arrive, tending to his minor wounds in the meantime.

The Prince decided to make effective use of this long waiting period, sitting down on the ground as he closed his eyes and went into a meditative state, managing to land on the right wavelength as he engaged in idle chatter with Zurvan without needing to return to his mindscape.

Much discussion was had about the Doppelganger, what his grand plans for Babylon likely were and the coming dangers that lay ahead for the Prince in his journey.

Towards the end of their mental back and forth conversation, the Prince ensured to ask Zurvan if there was anything he knew about this 'beast' who called the Babylon Coliseum its new home.

'Ah, you mean 'Klompa'? Yes, I do know exactly what this creature is.' Zurvan replied.

Continuing on with his recollection, Zurvan brought up details which especially intrigued the Prince, 'During my tenure as a corrupted general, your shadow made it very much clear to me, how invaluable Klompa was in the coming wars with other continents. With his great strength, durability and size at his beck and call, your Sands duplicate would be practically considered invincible. Many nations wouldn't stand a chance. And while it is good that your Resistance seeks to bring this creature down, it won't be an easy task, even for you Prince. Take great care when you face him and remember, there's always more strength in numbers.'

As the Prince came out of his meditative state and feeling completely recharged all-round, he could hear the door to the hideout being unlocked. Ready for anything, he was relieved to see Darius and various Resistance soldiers entering the building, expressing an open sigh of relief.

'Took you long enough to get here,' the Prince said. 'I was beginning to worry that I might have to return to battling these threats alone.'

Seemingly ignoring the comment, Darius stated with business-like authority, 'It seems you live up to your reputation, Prince. We didn't encounter many active enemy forces on the streets, only having a few close calls... Well done.'

'Oh, it was nothing,' the Prince sarcastically responded. 'Just more battles for the historical records.'

'Sire! What has happened to your arm?' a soldier commented. 'That doesn't look normal!'

'Ah, yes... about that,' the Prince said. 'I ran into an old friend of my family along the way. He had become corrupted by the Sands of Time and was very much close to completely turning me to the opposing side. It was only through sheer willpower that I was able to survive in my new monstrous form, before discovering water could reverse the transformation largely. I attempted to reason with the Elder, but he left me no choice. He was able to hold back his darker impulses long enough for me to bring his torment to an end... I can only hope he's in a better place now than the current existence we find ourselves in.'

'So... you're one of them now,' Darius said.

'Not entirely,' the Prince responded, as he looked at his corrupted right arm. 'I'm able to keep it at bay for the time being. But its best we hurry, lest my better half fall to this corruption entirely.'

'Very well then,' Darius stated in a surprisingly reserved tone. 'Alright men, go resolve any bodily needs immediately. We set off in the next few minutes.'

Arriving at the gates under the cover of darkness, the Prince and Darius snuck up on two unaware threats, dispatching them silently as the Resistance soldiers did the same accordingly. It was then upon entering, that they saw moving portions of a great beast which had previously been known as nothing more than a local rumor, at one of the many entrance corridors to the arena proper while it seemingly reached down and snacked on some kind of food (as torches lit the Coliseum arena in portions of orange light).

The Prince had a good idea of what that food source was and he had to hold back the temptation to empty his stomach's contents.

Everyone quickly took cover in the shadows provided by the corridors, as they tried to come up with a new battle strategy on the fly.

'What do we do now?' one soldier nervously stated quietly. 'There's no way we would stand a chance against that... thing!'

'I have an idea,' the Prince said. 'Darius, can you and the Resistance members venture to the higher levels where all those old artillery cannons are stored? If I can distract him long enough, perhaps some careful spiked cannonballs on your end can weaken him somewhat and make it easier for me to kill him.'

'Very well,' Darius said. 'But how do you expect to stay alive? You're just one man against a savage beast.'

'Do not worry,' the Prince said. 'I've dealt with similar monstrosities before during my travels. Just ensure to make a run for it, if the beast decides to focus its attacks on you.'

The message understood, Darius and the Resistance soldiers made a rush for the stairs to the higher levels as the Prince proceeded to jog into the arena itself, a tad fearful but confident at what needs to be done tonight.

Looking up at the giant beast, the Prince could see this creature for what it truly was. It looked uncannily human, possessing a large exposed gut that stood out among the pitiful amounts of armor attached to its person and a sword the size of a tower, currently stabbed into the ground.

It didn't take long for Klompa to notice him as it got to its feet, raised its sword and was about ready to slice the Prince in half.

Narrowly dodging out of the way of the incoming blow, the Prince ran around the arena and spied some wooden beams he could climb. But this creature wasn't naive. Klompa wasn't going to simply allow him to gain the home-field advantage and knew that so long as it could keep the Prince on the ground, it was only a matter of time before he would be another morsel of food for it to feast upon.

Putting his regained ability to slow down the flow of time to good use, the Prince made a mad dash for the walls, running along it as he caught the wooden beams (just as the Sands' effects wore off). Continuing to climb, the Prince could now see the monster's face in greater detail. Dried blood was displayed across its upper body, its eyes displaying an unnerving sense of bloodlust (as it attempted to reach its open hand out and grab the quick Prince).

Backflipping out of the reach of the arm, Klompa suddenly roared in pain as it turned around to find the source of its discomfort. The Prince could see a spiked cannonball jabbed into the creature's back, which could only mean Darius and the Resistance members had managed to get to the stored artillery.

Ensuring not to waste this opportunity, the Prince made a huge leap and landed on the beast's left shoulder, stabbing it with his sword for some stability support.

Enraged, Klompa attempted to grab him. But with hardened determination, the Prince quickly pulled out the sword and sliced at the creature's hand, causing it to cry out in further pain as he ran onto its head and stabbed his sword into one of its eyes, blinding it partially as the Prince landed back on the ground while the creature crouched down to tend to its wounded vision.

Klompa let out an unnerving roar, before being newly pelted by spiked cannonballs from Darius and the Resistance in the upper levels. Turning its attention back towards them, it raised its sword and sliced at where it believed the disturbance was originally, destroying two of the cannons during the scuffle.

Fortunately, the Resistance members had made sure to make a run for it as instructed to a different position, adrenaline making them go at speeds that a few didn't ever believe they could go.

With this, the Prince proceeded to attack Klompa's flabby legs, slicing as quick as he could, blood pouring from the wounds as the creature collapsed on the ground, the pain too much for it to still stand.

'Now! Finish him while it's down!' a soldier cried out to the Prince, the Prince clinging his blood-covered sword with great strength as he moved quickly to the creature's face and stabbed the sword into the creature's other eye, forcing it in until the monster's cries of pain ceased and it finally died.

Pulling the sword out of the eye socket, the Prince moved his weapon about several times to clear it of as much blood as he could. Satisfied with the results, he returned his sword to its hilt.

The arena doors all opened up, as the Prince rejoined the Resistance members on the ground floor in the arena.

'Have to say, mighty impressive!' Darius said to the Prince. 'Running head-on into battle against such a threat, was a reckless and seriously life-threatening tactic. But seeing you hold your own against that beast is one story to be told for future generations!'

'Thank you Darius.' the Prince responded casually, feeling honored to see a man he'd known in a previous life as self-centred and egotistical, be so optimistic. 'But I certainly wouldn't have been able to defeat it without all of you.'

'Agreed,' Darius replied. 'Do you see now Prince how much can be conquered with the proper teamwork. Keep this up and I might actually start to see you as an equal.'

As Darius walked off, the Prince followed after a bit, lost in thought at the words he'd never expect to hear coming out of Darius's mouth. He could certainly see where Farah had gotten her combat smarts from in retrospect. But to see so much riding on him succeeding in stopping the Doppelganger, only strengthened his resolve to push on and see where this journey took him next.

When this was all over, the Prince hoped to start a more mutual friendship between the two nations, as the Resistance proceeded down to the lower levels and freed uninfected prisoners from their forced captivity over the next few hours to various safehouses.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

'What do you mean Klompa is dead?' the Doppelganger exclaimed. 'He can't just get killed like some common animal!'

'From what our scouts discovered, its all true my lord,' Mahasti stated. 'Undoubtedly, its the work of the Prince and his newly-gained allies. Allow me to go and kill him for you personally... to send a message to all those who rebel against your rule.'

'And as I've informed you before, that pleasure is reserved for me and me alone Mahasti,' the Doppelganger replied with noticeable anger in his tone of voice, before subsiding back down as quick as it came. 'However, I am willing to make a compromise. If you can rough him up a little bit before bringing him to me alive, you will be rewarded.'

'Very well. I will see that this task is completed.' Mahasti said, as she left the throne room for parts unknown.

The Doppelganger resumed looking out at the city of Babylon, the bright sun seemingly beautiful against the horizon. And yet, these persistent doubts about his overall goals continued to pop into his mind. Did he really deserve to be King? Was it right to execute one who's life would arguably make things better for the world in the long term, even if that person was himself from a different timeline? For all the hatred he had toward the Prince, he couldn't lie to himself and pretend that it was all just fixated on the sole idea of his life being wrongfully taken away from him.

The Doppelganger could only continue to ponder such open-ended questions, as he sat down on his throne and munched on some grapes left by some loyal servants.

* * *

'Prince, I'm coming for you,' a sinister-sounding voice stated as the Prince continued to run down a seemingly endless corridor. 'You can't outrun inevitability!'

'No! Darius! Asha! Ervin! So many innocent men and women, killed. I won't allow you to take me as well!' the Prince cried out, as he continued running in a different direction (only to have his surroundings change to that of the throne room in the Babel Tower).

'Oh, but I already have,' the Dark Prince said with a cold smugness, 'It's only a matter of time now before the corruption completely takes hold over your body permanently. And when that happens, you'll be gone... forever. I on the other hand, will rule for eternity. Nations will fall before my might, more will join in my crusade and others will worship me like a god.'

Flinging out his Daggertail at the Prince, the Dark Prince ensnared him within it and forcibly brought the Prince closer and closer toward him.

'Now, just let go. It'll only make things less painful for you in the long term.' the Dark Prince said as he let out an elongated evil laugh, turning into black mist that covered the Prince entirely and morphed him into the Dark Prince physically.

The Prince could only look at a newly-displayed mirror in horror. 'No! No! NOOOO!'

* * *

The Prince woke up, breathing heavily and feeling noticeable discomfort on his upper body. Not wanting to wake up anyone within the Resistance, he proceeded to sneak into an unoccupied room and used his sword as a makeshift mirror against the moonlight outside to see where the feeling of discomfort was coming from.

Much to his horror, that was more than a nightmare he'd just had. It had served as an omen of what he would become in hours if not days, if he didn't deal with the Doppelganger soon (as the corruption had spread itself further across his body during his slumber).

The Prince decided to use his ability to see into the future, in order to try and get some more cohesive answers. He concentrated hard, until visions started snapping into his head. They showed snapshots of the Royal Gardens and a feminine-looking sand monster using generated vines to constrict water flow into the city during the day, another feminine-looking sand monster moving across the rooftops at great speed during nightfall, the feminine-looking sand monster in the gardens seemingly falling before him and once again, that moment where he and the Doppelganger stood on top of the Babel Tower at a crossroads.

With all this in mind as he came back to living in the present moment, he knew exactly where he planned to go to next. He could only hope he was not too late in setting things right again, returning to bed and attempting to get what little sleep he could before the crack of dawn.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Light Path

The Prince had not managed to get much sleep the night before, confiding with Zurvan about the nightmare and how long he truly had, before even Zurvan's skills would be of no use against keeping the corruption's ever-lingering presence at bay.

Zurvan did what he could to remain optimistic in his renewed advisory position. But when pressed by the Prince for a specific timeframe, Zurvan confirmed with great reluctance that it was likely about three days, before he would be unable to hold the Dark Prince back any longer from taking full control and fling the world into an even greater peril.

The elder was many things to the Prince and a liar was certainly not one of them. And as he returned his presence to the physical realm, Zurvan from the security of the Prince's mentalscape could only look down on himself for having to state what he did to the Prince. It stung him to know that despite his best efforts, he was only prolonging the inevitable.

'Now is not the time to start doubting yourself and your skills Zurvan.' a female voice said to the old man as she placed a hand on the upper portion of the chair figment and moved her upper body down to Zurvan's level. 'Right now, the Prince needs you to keep him stable during this crisis. He cannot face all his battles alone.'

'Empress,' Zurvan said with great surprise. 'This place would be the last location I'd expect you to take up residence in. I thought you were no longer among us?'

'Not everything is as it seems,' Kaileena said. 'I am only here before you now, as a mere echo of the Sands of Time.'

'So the Prince wasn't merely hearing things,' Zurvan chuckled. 'It's been you who's been granting him access to powers no mortal man has ever seen. But why not inform the Prince that you're here? That not all is lost?'

Zurvan could sense a feeling of sadness coming from Kaileena.

'Unfortunately, I cannot deliver such a request,' Kaileena replied. 'In order to ensure the best possible outcome for this world's future, I cannot interfere in what is to come. And I would only ask to keep what I've told you to yourself.'

Zurvan expressed frustration at this revelation for a while before finally relenting and confirming to Kaileena that the Prince would hear none of this from him.

Kaileena thanked him for his hospitality. But before her echo faded away from the Prince's mentalscape entirely, she donated some of her remaining essence to Zurvan, enhancing his strength enough that he'd be capable of holding the Dark Prince in place for a few more hours past the expected deadline, wishing Zurvan well as she departed.

Zurvan couldn't help but smile. Somehow, someway... The Prince was going to succeed. No matter what stood in his way, the Prince would set things right and he couldn't wait to see what happened next.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Light Path

As the Prince made his way to the Resistance's briefing room for their next mission, he came across Ervin. Quickly hiding his corrupted arm from the young man's vision, Ervin greeted the royal prince.

'Sire, I've heard stories of how you managed to slay a giant beast in the city coliseum the other day. Were you scared? Was it as vicious as the other kids say?'

'Oh, it was,' the Prince commented as he decided to play along and keep the child's mind at ease. 'My back was against a wall with seemingly no way out. All seemed lost, until I was saved in the nick of time by fellow resistance members who shot as many cannonballs at the monster as they could. Unable to sustain itself, it fell before our combined might.'

'Ooh, I knew it was true!' Ervin replied with joy and excitement. 'Nothing can stop the Prince of Persia! You cross his path and you'll stand no chance!'

The Prince let out a laugh, as he directed Ervin off to Asha's makeshift classroom. Even if the moment was brief, it had helped in taking the Prince's mind away from the stress of the current situation.

'Ah, to be young again.' the Prince commented, as he set off for the briefing. He was going to be a little late, but he was sure they'd let him off with a warning.

'...And if we look at the paths cut off here and here, there's an opening into the Gardens from this mostly abandoned city section. If we could send a group to investigate, perhaps we could find a way to re-strengthen our local supplies...' Darius was interrupted, as the Prince entered the briefing room.

'Prince! We were just discussing our plan for taking back the royal gardens from enemy forces,' Darius commented. 'If you're wanting to remain involved in the missions, you need to stop immersing yourself in calming exercises so regularly!'

'Sorry, lost track of time.' the Prince said, as he joined everyone at the planning table and asked to be brought up to speed.

* * *

As the Prince journeyed with Darius and several newcomer Resistance soldiers through the abandoned sector of Babylon's streets, the disquieting stillness reared its ugly head. After the previous encounter with Zurvan in his corrupted form, the Prince didn't feel entirely comfortable wandering the streets alone (least of all with the threat of the Dark Prince breaking loose). So having to slow down traversal for the sake of everyone else, was a price he was willing to pay for a bit of company.

And while he did have Zurvan on hand at any time, the Prince didn't like to draw his attention away from keeping the Dark Prince's influence under control, unless it was absolutely required.

Just when he thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, the Prince and Resistance members found themselves under attack, by a barrage of throwing daggers. It was Mahasti!

'Run through that door and close it!' the Prince shouted. 'I will catch up with you, once I am done with this!'

Understanding perfectly, Darius and the Resistance soldiers knew when they were outmatched and left the Prince to do what he did best, closing the door behind them as instructed.

'So, I see my shadow is still unwilling to face me himself and is inclined to send more of his generals to the slaughter!' the Prince quipped. 'What is he so afraid of?'

'Bite your tongue imposter!' Mahasti spat. 'No one talks that way about the true king. Be lucky he only wants me to severely injure you, before being presented at his feet for the final judgment!'

'Very well then. If its a fight you want, its a fight you'll get!' the Prince said, as he climbed up to Mahasti's position. 'I won't allow Babylon to fall while I still stand.'

'Then follow me and we'll see how long that statement proves true!' Mahasti taunted, as she ran off around a corner while the Prince managed to get to where she was before and continued to give chase, finding himself in a large squared city section of four rooftops above a high drop.

Climbing down, the Prince looked around but somehow, Mahasti had managed to successfully elude him. Unfortunately, the Prince found himself getting pelted with flammable material of some kind (which started to burn away at the rooftop he was standing on).

Having no choice in the matter, the Prince felt that distinct pain once more as a portion of the flames got onto his body and the physical transformation into the Dark Prince occurred.

From Mahasti's position on a far higher ledge, she felt accomplished with herself as she saw no Prince among the flames. But to her shock, a shadow arose from the ashes. Somehow, the Prince still lived. But how? Unless...

'Oh great,' Mahasti said to herself, as she used her superhuman legs to make a leap down to one of the intact rooftops. 'Looks like this capture attempt is going to take a little longer than expected'.

She couldn't see it, but the Prince was angry and ready to tear her limb from limb, for forcing him into this monstrous form.

Dark Path

As the Prince made his way to the Resistance's briefing room for their next mission, he came across Ervin. Quickly hiding his corrupted arm from the young man's vision, Ervin greeted the royal prince.

'Sire, I've heard stories of how you managed to slay a giant beast in the city coliseum the other day. Were you scared? Was it as vicious as the other kids say?'

'Not now Ervin. I need to be at the briefing. Maybe another time?' the Prince dismissively said, as he made a run for it.

Ervin could only feel dismayed by the Prince's sudden disinterest. Was it something he'd said? The poor boy could only walk to Asha's makeshift classroom, feeling less enthusiastic about the day that stood in front of him.

'...And if we look at the paths cut off here and here, there's an opening into the Gardens from this mostly abandoned city section. If we could send a group to investigate, perhaps we could find a way to re-strengthen our local supplies...' Darius was interrupted, as the Prince entered the briefing room.

'Prince! We were just discussing our plan for taking back the royal gardens from enemy forces,' Darius commented. 'If you're wanting to remain involved in the missions, you need to stop immersing yourself in calming exercises so regularly!'

'Not all of us are able to hold ourselves together as well as you seem to Darius.' the Prince said, as he joined everyone at the planning table and asked to be brought up to speed. 'So bring me up to speed and let's get this mission done already!'

Many of the Resistance members expressed shock at the Prince's sudden blunt and disrespectful behavior. But for Darius, this only enhanced his suspicions of the Prince's true motives. Clearly that encounter he'd gone through, had left more of an impact on the Prince than a mere glowing battlescar on his right arm. Biting his tongue, he summed up the plans for the current mission.

* * *

As the Prince journeyed with Darius and several newcomer Resistance soldiers through the abandoned sector of Babylon's streets, the disquieting stillness reared its ugly head. After the previous encounter with Zurvan in his corrupted form, the Prince didn't find himself feeling scared anymore. He practically longed for solitude again whilst traversing the abandoned streets with the Resistance members. It frustrated him deeply to have to slow down his pace, only because they couldn't do a lot of the high-flying acrobatics one like him could do through years spent refining his techniques.

Just when he thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, the Prince and Resistance members found themselves under attack, by a barrage of throwing daggers. It was Mahasti!

'Go through that door and close it!' the Prince shouted. 'I will... catch up with you, once I am done with this!'

Understanding perfectly, Darius and the Resistance soldiers knew when they were outmatched and left the Prince to do what he did best, closing the door behind them as instructed.

'So, I see my shadow is still unwilling to face me himself and is inclined to send more of his generals to the slaughter!' the Prince quipped. 'What is he so afraid of?'

'Bite your tongue imposter!' Mahasti spat. 'No one talks that way about the true king. Be lucky he only wants me to severely injure you, before being presented at his feet for the final judgment!'

'Very well then. If its a fight you want, its a fight you'll get!' the Prince said, as he climbed up to Mahasti's position. 'I won't allow Babylon to fall while I still stand.'

'Then follow me and we'll see how long that statement proves true!' Mahasti taunted, as she ran off around a corner while the Prince managed to get to where she was before and continued to give chase, finding himself in a large squared city section of four rooftops above a high drop.

Climbing down, the Prince looked around but somehow, Mahasti had managed to successfully elude him. Unfortunately, the Prince found himself getting pelted with flammable material of some kind (which started to burn away at the rooftop he was standing on).

Having no choice in the matter, the Prince felt that distinct pain once more as a portion of the flames got onto his body and the physical transformation into the Dark Prince occurred.

From Mahasti's position on a far higher ledge, she felt accomplished with herself as she saw no Prince among the flames. But to her shock, a shadow arose from the ashes. Somehow, the Prince still lived. But how? Unless...

'Oh great,' Mahasti said to herself, as she used her superhuman legs to make a leap down to one of the intact rooftops. 'Looks like this capture attempt is going to take a little longer than expected'.

She couldn't see it yet, but the Prince was angry and ready to tear her limb from limb, for forcing him into this monstrous form.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Light Path

The Dark Prince made a mad dash for the nearest pole and flung his Daggertail at it, swinging across to another rooftop as the one he was on before, finally collapsed from the overwhelming strength of the flames.

Mahasti taunted him to come a little bit closer, before the two finally engaged in combat. Much to the dismay of the Dark Prince however, Mahasti proved to be way too fast for him to continuously rely on the offensive, having to dodge and even slow down the flow of time to stand a chance at matching her.

And as Mahasti resumed slashing at the Dark Prince, he realized that he'd seen this type of fighting style before.

'Shahdee?' the Dark Prince managed to get out before Mahasti pinned him against a wall, struggling to keep him from easily escaping.

'Incorrect. I am in fact a pupil trained in her combat style, who you decided to murder in cold blood. I'd have your head if I wasn't under strict orders to bring you in alive.'

The Dark Prince put as much strength into his arms as he could muster, finally managing to force Mahasti off him before resuming sword clashes. 'It wasn't... entirely like that. I thought... she was killing an innocent woman. I didn't know... it was the Empress.'

'Liar!' Mahasti shouted, as she lunged at the Dark Prince and attempted to fatally stab him in a vulnerable but non-lethal area. 'She taught me everything I ever knew growing up. And now I'll never know whether she'd be proud of me or not... because of you!'

The Dark Prince slowed down time once again and slashed at her enough to force Mahasti to the ground, her swords slipping from her grasp.

'Go on... Do it. End me... It makes no difference anyway. The King will only send more forces after you. My death at your hands makes no difference.' Mahasti said.

'No,' the Dark Prince said. 'Its not worth killing you. No amount of killing is going to bring Shahdee back... Nor Kaileena.'

'Kaileena?' Mahasti said. 'I heard the King killed her himself. But I never thought you two would be...'

'Yes. I grew to love her,' the Dark Prince said. 'It was because of her foreseeing her death at my hands initially, that she sent Shahdee to prevent my arrival on the Island. After I killed Kaileena the first time, I realized I had only created the Sands of Time that my younger self would eventually find and repeat the cycle all over again, a creature called the Dahaka continuing to hunt me down.'

Pulling Mahasti to her feet, she could only ask, 'But what made you change your mind? Why are you even telling me all this?'

'Because I want you to know that if given the chance with the foresight I have now, I'd make sure all of these events across time never happened. That Kaileena would have been allowed to live out her own existence without fear... Shahdee would still be alive to tutor you and any future generation in the art of combat... Perhaps I could be allowed to live a more blissful existence,' the Dark Prince said. 'Even in this repulsive form I've now taken, I have enough humanity and sense of morality still flowing through me to know you're not completely irredeemable... I accept what I have done to Babylon and those around me, as a result of my actions. Can you do the same and let go of your anger towards me?'

'I... I don't know,' Mahasti said, having never had such a question asked from her before, as she proceeded to pick up her swords and return them to her hilts. 'But now, I just feel so stupid. Used...'

'It's never too late to change Mahasti,' the Dark Prince said. 'Join the Resistance. I can put in a good word for you.'

'No. They'd hardly accept you in that form, let alone me Prince,' Mahasti pointed out. 'But now, I intend to set my skills on those who truly deserve it. Farewell.'

And with that, Mahasti made huge leaps from ledge to rooftop, venturing completely out of the sight of the Dark Prince once more.

As he ran down an alternative route into the Gardens and coming across a reasonably sized pool of water to return to normal along the way, the Prince could only stop and wonder whether he had made the right call in sparing Mahasti's life. For all he knew, she could have been playing along the entire time and was likely rushing back to the Doppelganger to inform him of what had transpired or was simply waiting for her chance to retaliate a second time.

Either way, he had taken a risk and lived to tell the tale. And right now, Darius and the Resistance needed him in taking down the enemy forces residing within this area, rushing off to find them and hope they had managed to survive without his aid.

Dark Path

The Dark Prince made a mad dash for the nearest pole and flung his Daggertail at it, swinging across to another rooftop as the one he was on before, finally collapsed from the overwhelming strength of the flames.

Mahasti taunted him to come a little bit closer, before the two finally engaged in combat. Much to the dismay of the Dark Prince however, Mahasti proved to be way too fast for him to continuously rely on the offensive, having to dodge and even slow down the flow of time to stand a chance at matching her.

And as Mahasti resumed slashing at the Dark Prince, he realized that he'd seen this type of fighting style before.

'Shahdee?' the Dark Prince managed to get out before Mahasti pinned him against a wall, struggling to keep him from easily escaping.

'Incorrect. I am in fact a pupil trained in her combat style, who you decided to murder in cold blood. I'd have your head if I wasn't under strict orders to bring you in alive.'

The Dark Prince put as much strength into his arms as he could muster, finally managing to force Mahasti off him before resuming sword clashes. 'It wasn't... entirely like that. I thought... she was killing an innocent woman. I didn't know... it was the Empress.'

'Liar!' Mahasti shouted, as she lunged at the Dark Prince and attempted to fatally stab him in a vulnerable but non-lethal area. 'She taught me everything I ever knew growing up. And now I'll never know whether she'd be proud of me or not... because of you!'

That's when the Dark Prince got an idea.

'You're right. If it were not for my intervention, I would never have had the pleasure of killing Shahdee, nice and slowly. Do you want me to retell you all the screams that were made as I watched her explode into dust?'

'You bastard!' Mahasti shouted, as she gripped her swords tightly and let out a battlecry, not caring if she ended up killing the Dark Prince 'accidentally'.

But that was what the Dark Prince was counting on, as he slowed down time and got out of the way, stabbing an unaware Mahasti in the back. And as time flow returned to normal, Mahasti immediately collapsed on the ground, sand leaking from her body as she started coughing up blood.

'You... are an idiot! I'm merely one less soldier in the... rightful king's army. More will... take my place in... capturing you.'

'That's what I'm counting on.' the Dark Prince mocked as he walked away, Mahasti's body exploding into dust.

And as the Dark Prince ran down an alternative route into the Gardens, coming across a reasonably sized pool of water to return to normal along the way, the Prince could only feel uncomfortably annoyed that he had to return to normal in the first place. The length of time he had been in that monstrous form, was really starting to take its toll on the Prince and he knew he was running out of time.

But right now, Darius and the Resistance needed his help in taking down the enemy forces residing within this area. And while he did find regularly protecting them incredibly irritating, they still proved useful in taking the Doppelganger's forces down.

The Prince could only sigh as he rushed into the Gardens to find them.


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Light Path

It took a ton of enemy encounters to deal with or outright avoid altogether when possible, but it wasn't long before the Prince came across Darius and the Resistance soldiers on the ground.

Moving across the undergrowth and vines inexplicably created in mass by the Doppelganger's forces, the Prince could see for certain that they were having trouble with a massive stone guardian, which was seemingly guarding the entrance to the core source of water that flowed throughout Babylon's wells.

'They're not going to last much longer if I don't step in and do something now,' the Prince said to himself, leaping from the branches he was standing on and landed on a stone ledge, shimmying along until he reached a spot where he could continually descend down, successfully landing on the ground without sustaining anything more than minor scrapes.

'Darius!' the Prince called out.

'Prince? About time you got here,' Darius shouted out as he did his best to avoid being crushed by the stone guardian's steps. 'Any suggestions for taking this creature down?'

'Continue distracting it. I'll do what I can to bring it down!' the Prince replied at equal volume, as he rushed head-on in the direction of the creature.

There were no immediately obvious weakpoints that stood out to the Prince at first, until he caught a glimpse of the creature's neck when it bent down and tried to snatch one of the Resistance members. It had an opening barely protected by wood and leaves, which could make for an easy redirect as a battering ram at the fortified doors, if he managed to stab his sword into the base of its neck far enough. However, this was easier said than done (as it was flailing about too much for him to start climbing immediately).

Evening the odds, the Prince decided to slow down time and made sure not to waste the Sands (rushing as fast as he could up the guardian's legs and back, only slightly away from the neck area when time flow was restored to a more natural pace). The Prince held on for dear life as he placed one limb after another on a stable foothold, reaching the top of the neck.

Struggling to maintain balance all the while, the Prince pulled out his sword and made a series of slashes at the weakpoint until it was deep enough to reach the creature's nerves, stabbing it in and using the sword like a lever, directing the frenzied stone guardian at the fortified doors (smashing into it hard as the doors were blown off their supports, killing the creature in the process as it faded into dust and revealed what had truly become of the gardens under the Doppelganger's control, the Prince leaping to safety at the last minute as he retrieved his sword from where the stone guardian originally was and returned it to its scabbard).

'Be on your guard,' the Prince said. 'I doubt we've seen the last of enemy troops in this area.'

And as the Prince and Resistance members slowly began their descent to the source of the water blockage, it became clear that the undergrowth had especially taken its toll on the gardens' core well. It got so bad that they had to stop and slice vines in their path at least four times, before they finally arrived at the bottom.

Cautiously examining their surroundings, things seemed almost disappointedly dull in terms of action, after what it had taken to get here.

Suddenly, the Prince heard the cowering screams of a Resistance soldier being dragged away by seemingly sentient vines (everyone drawing their weapons as they prepared for an incoming attack).

Vines started lunging at the Resistance members as they did what they could to hold down the fort, the Prince performing a backflip to dodge a capture attempt before dealing a counterattack that sliced a few offending vines into pieces (causing an unnerving scream to be heard).

'Where are you? Show yourself monster!' Darius boomed. 'Your vines will not stop us from achieving what will be done on this day!'

Seemingly obliging the Indian general's request, the monster revealed itself for all to see. Its upper body looked distinctly female, but the rest of its body seemingly dragged behind it akin to a collection of plant roots. The skin looked entirely formed of bark, as the monster's face expressed visible feelings of anger.

'You were foolish to come here mortals!' it said with venomous fanaticism. 'You cannot stop the beginning of a new era. Your kind will be wiped off the face of the earth while a new race will rise to take your place across land and sea!'

'Keep telling yourself that,' the Prince said. 'It'll make it easier to kill you.'

The monster roared as it generated more vines from its body in a desperate attempt to capture the Resistance members and the Prince. It unfortunately managed to succeed at capturing two more of the soldiers, cruelly sapping the life from them until they were nothing more than food for the plants.

'Damn you!' Darius shouted, as he charged forward in a blind rage and stabbed the monster's lower body with his sword. It screamed out in pain as it knocked Darius aside into a nearby wall, knocking him out cold while doing what it could to tend to the open wound.

Becoming increasingly frustrated with how events seemed to be turning around in the monster's favor, the Prince proceeded to make use of this opportunity and rushed as fast as he could, climbing up to the monster's back and stabbing his sword deep into the creature's body repeatedly.

The monster did what it could to get the Prince off its body, but he wasn't playing around anymore. Too many innocent lives had been taken over the course of this conflict and he wouldn't allow any more Resistance members to be among the casualties.

Slowing down time, the Prince managed to reach what he considered the heart of this foul creature during the end of the power's effects, performing the finishing blow as he let out a powerful scream. Unable to stand, the monster collapsed to the ground, managing to let out a few words before it died.

'My son... Thank you...'

And as the undergrowth miraculously receded before the Prince's eyes, he realized then and there what that monster originally was in another life.

'Mother? NOOOOO!'

The Prince stabbed his sword into the ground, unable to hold back his repressed grief any longer. 'Why? Why did it have to be you? If I had never opened the Sands, perhaps you'd... still be alive.'

'You did what needed to be done Prince,' Zurvan said to him from the depths of his mind. 'The Queen would have not wanted it any other way. She was living a fate worse than death, unable to fight back against her own actions and feeling as if someone else was in control of her body. There's no way you could have known.'

'I know Zurvan,' the Prince said. 'But it doesn't make it any less painful. I thought that destroying the Sands of Time by preventing their creation altogether, would mean that my family would all still be alive. You have every reason to hate me for not following your advice.'

'While its true that what you did was reckless Prince, no. I do not hate you,' Zurvan said supportively. 'I've lived a long life, experienced many unforgettable things... I can only be proud of how far you've come and grown. And I'm sure the King and Queen would say the same thing, if they were here.'

'But they're not,' the Prince said as he wiped his eyes and put his sword away. 'Father is still under my duplicate's control. And so long as my imposter still lives, there is no way for Babylon to fully recover. There's one last mission that needs to be done.'

'The Babel Tower?' Zurvan inquired.

'Yes,' the Prince said. 'It's time this madness was brought to an end, once and for all. But first, I'd best make sure Darius is okay.'

Turning to Darius, the Prince did what he could to wake him up, as he supported him all the way back to the main Resistance hideout.

Dark Path

It took a ton of enemy encounters to deal with or outright avoid altogether when possible, but it wasn't long before the Prince came across Darius and the Resistance soldiers on the ground.

Moving across the undergrowth and vines inexplicably created in mass by the Doppelganger's forces, the Prince could see for certain that they were having trouble with a massive stone guardian, which was seemingly guarding the entrance to the core source of water that flowed throughout Babylon's wells.

'Those idiots are not going to last much longer if I don't step in and do something,' the Prince said to himself, leaping from the branches he was standing on and landed on a stone ledge, shimmying along until he reached a spot where he could continually descend down, successfully landing on the ground without sustaining anything more than minor scrapes.

'Darius!' the Prince called out.

'Prince? About time you got here,' Darius shouted out as he did his best to avoid being crushed by the stone guardian's steps. 'Any suggestions for taking this creature down?'

'Continue distracting it. You've been doing a solid job already!' the Prince replied at equal volume, as he rushed head-on in the direction of the creature.

There were no immediately obvious weakpoints that stood out to the Prince at first, until he caught a glimpse of the creature's neck when it bent down and tried to snatch one of the Resistance members. It had an opening barely protected by wood and leaves, which could make for an easy redirect as a battering ram at the fortified doors, if he managed to stab his sword into the base of its neck far enough. However, this was easier said than done (as it was flailing about too much for him to start climbing immediately).

Evening the odds, the Prince decided to slow down time and made sure not to waste the Sands (rushing as fast as he could up the guardian's legs and back, only slightly away from the neck area when time flow was restored to a more natural pace). The Prince held on for dear life as he placed one limb after another on a stable foothold, reaching the top of the neck.

Struggling to maintain balance all the while, the Prince pulled out his sword and made a series of slashes at the weakpoint until it was deep enough to reach the creature's nerves, stabbing it in and using the sword like a lever, directing the frenzied stone guardian at the fortified doors (smashing into it hard as the doors were blown off their supports, killing the creature in the process as it faded into dust and revealed what had truly become of the gardens under the Doppelganger's control, the Prince leaping to safety at the last minute as he retrieved his sword from where the stone guardian originally was and returned it to its scabbard).

'Come on,' the Prince said. 'Water flow to the wells throughout the city won't get resolved if this isn't dealt with now.'

And as the Prince and Resistance members slowly began their descent to the source of the water blockage, it became clear that the undergrowth had especially taken its toll on the gardens' core well. It got so bad that they had to stop and slice vines in their path at least four times, before they finally arrived at the bottom.

Cautiously examining their surroundings, things seemed almost disappointedly dull in terms of action, after what it had taken to get here.

Suddenly, the Prince heard the cowering screams of a Resistance soldier being dragged away by seemingly sentient vines (everyone drawing their weapons as they prepared for an incoming attack).

Vines started lunging at the Resistance members as they did what they could to hold down the fort, the Prince performing a backflip to dodge a capture attempt before dealing a counterattack that sliced a few offending vines into pieces (causing an unnerving scream to be heard).

'Where are you? Show yourself monster!' Darius boomed. 'Your vines will not stop us from achieving what will be done on this day!'

Seemingly obliging the Indian general's request, the monster revealed itself for all to see. Its upper body looked distinctly female, but the rest of its body seemingly dragged behind it akin to a collection of plant roots. The skin looked entirely formed of bark, as the monster's face expressed visible feelings of anger.

'You were foolish to come here mortals!' it said with venomous fanaticism. 'You cannot stop the beginning of a new era. Your kind will be wiped off the face of the earth while a new race will rise to take your place across land and sea!'

'Keep telling yourself that,' the Prince said. 'It'll make it easier to kill you.'

The monster roared as it generated more vines from its body in a desperate attempt to capture the Resistance members and the Prince. It unfortunately managed to succeed at capturing two more of the soldiers, cruelly sapping the life from them until they were nothing more than food for the plants.

'Damn you!' Darius shouted, as he charged forward in a blind rage and stabbed the monster's lower body with his sword. It screamed out in pain as it knocked Darius aside into a nearby wall, knocking him out cold while doing what it could to tend to the open wound.

Becoming increasingly frustrated with how events seemed to be turning around in the monster's favor, the Prince proceeded to make use of this opportunity and rushed as fast as he could, climbing up to the monster's back and stabbing his sword deep into the creature's body repeatedly.

The monster did what it could to get the Prince off its body, but he wasn't playing around anymore. Too many innocent lives had been taken over the course of this conflict and he wouldn't allow any more Resistance members to be among the casualties.

Slowing down time, the Prince lost all sense of reason as he proceeded to slash at the monster's head till it was no longer a part of the body, sand escaping as it faded away into dust and the undergrowth miraculously receded before the Prince's eyes, water flow returning to normal.

'That's another monster down. All that's left now is my imposter between me and seeing Babylon restored to its former glory. Better make sure that pig-headed brute isn't completely dead.'

Turning to Darius, he did what he could to wake him up, as he reluctantly helped him back to the main Resistance hideout.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

'Dammit! What must I do to ensure all of you get the job done?' the Doppelganger fumed at the Twins, two identical sand monster brothers whose only distinct traits were in the attire they wore and their preferred choice of weapon (one possessing a large broadsword, the other an axe).

'Are the both of you paying attention?' the Doppelganger reaffirmed. 'I'm sending you to kill the Prince with full rights granted. I am all out of patience on expecting the Prince to be brought here to me. Last thing I need is to lose all the power I've gained through the sands being absorbed into the Hourglass!'

'Yes King, we will see that this is done!' the Twins responded.

'Excellent. Your chariots await you in the stables. And remember you two, I will not accept failure. Because if you decide to back out and go rogue like Mahasti, you both will be hunted down and executed.'

'Of course not Sire. We would never dream of it,' the axe twin said. 'Is that right brother?'

The sword twin silently agreed, as they both left the throne room and leaving the Doppelganger alone.

'It's only a matter of hours now. Soon all the Sands will be contained in the hourglass and nobody will be able to stop me. And even if the Prince does still somehow manage to survive against the Twins, all of his strength won't be enough to stop me... Still, it'll be a shame to have this drawn-out war finally come to an end. No longer will I have an equal to match wits with nor will I have the opportunity to experience again, what it was once like to be mortal. Dammit, I never realized how hard this would be.'

And as the Doppelganger walked away to the top of the Babel Tower...

...The Prince was drawn back to the present, having looked into the future one last time (not expecting a fully displayed vision that delved into greater detail than he was used to). His duplicate expressing feelings of remorse and moments of humanity? Perhaps not all was lost. Maybe this was a character flaw he could use to his advantage during the final battle.

Getting to his feet, he realized he couldn't prolong storming in on the tower any longer. So under the cover of night, the Prince snuck out of the Resistance hideout, stealing a chariot as he set off for the Babel Tower.


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Light Path

As the Prince rode his chariot through the barely lit streets, he thought for once that he'd get a break and make a smooth trip to his current destination without delay. Unfortunately, that wish was seemingly short-lived as he found himself caught between two of the Doppelganger's generals, who rode their own chariots at the same speed as his own.

'Hey Prince,' the axe twin said. 'Why don't we make a stop at the makeshift arena up ahead. It would make for a more interesting fight.'

'Fine.' the Prince said in a dismissive tone, as he stopped his chariot and got off, following the Twins to the makeshift arena.

'Alright. Let's get this over with,' the Prince said with great annoyance.

The Twins could only look at each other and let out a knowing laugh, before resuming looking at the Prince again.

'Brother. If you'd do the honors?' the axe twin suggested.

The sword twin pulled out his sword and made a mad dash around the outer rim of the arena, the sparks generated from the tip of the sword causing fires to spring up.

The Prince could only look on in fear, knowing what would happen to him next. His corrupted right arm flared up as flames found themselves magically drawn to it, eventually covering his entire body till he was alight and screaming in pain as the transformation into the Dark Prince occurred.

'There we go,' the axe twin said. 'Now things can be a little more interesting.'

'Don't speak.' the Dark Prince said, as he made a taunt encouraging his opponents to come to him.

And as the Twins began to engage in battle, the Dark Prince knew after a bit that he wasn't going to survive this fight without making a change in his battle strategy. He did what he could to block incoming attacks, but the Twins were landing more successful hits than they were missing and the Dark Prince felt himself getting weaker, unable to keep up the good fight for much longer.

'Come on. Surely you can do better than that.' a familiar voice called out as they landed on the ground behind the Twins, her back turned to them.

'Mahasti!' the Dark Prince said.

'We need to stop meeting up like this.' Mahasti responded, as she made some hard stabbing motions with her dual swords at the axe twin, who narrowly dodged out of the way of the attack while Mahasti joined the Dark Prince at his current position, both their weapons raised.

'You handle the one with the broadsword. I'll handle the one with the axe.' the Dark Prince suggested.

'Fine. I've been looking forward to this.' Mahasti said, as she made a combative scream before charging for the mute sword twin.

'Now, its just you and me,' the Dark Prince pointed out to the axe twin. 'Time to join your brethren in hell.'

The axe twin could only express feelings of frustration in his face, as he proceeded to charge for the Dark Prince, moving his axe left and right, the Dark Prince continuing to dodge as best he could until the axe twin slammed his weapon into the ground and got it stuck.

'It was a mistake to challenge me monster,' the Prince mocked. 'And your second mistake...

The Prince stabbed the axe twin in the back, effectively killing him.

'...was to mindlessly fling around that battleaxe without stopping to be mindful of your surroundings.'

And as the axe twin faded away, an unexpected amount of extra sand got absorbed into the Amulet (as the Prince felt great pain within his skull). He finally remembered the 'Ravages of Time' technique, which had proved especially useful against large groups of enemies on the Island of Time, time speeding up to almost unseen levels from his perspective while enemies could do nothing to defend themselves against it.

'Aaah!' Mahasti screamed, sustaining an incredibly lethal blow.

'Mahasti!' the Dark Prince cried, as he activated his new sand power and went to town on the sword twin, tearing him limb from limb and killing him before he even realized what happened, returning his sword to his scabbard before tending to Mahasti.

Mahasti coughing, the Prince carefully raised her with his arms as he acted as physical support.

'Guess I... got too overconfident.' Mahasti joked.

'You fought well. I'm sure Shahdee would be proud of what you did, in fighting off a physically stronger opponent.'

'Thank you... At least I went out... fighting.' Mahasti said.

'But why come back to save me? Surely it would have been better to leave Babylon and save yourself?' the Dark Prince questioned.

'And... go where, Prince? I'm a... warrior who no longer has... a purpose. One who has... no purpose is... doomed to lead a... miserable existence.'

Placing one of her hands on the Prince's left cheek, she quietly let out some final words. 'Please... promise me one thing... See that your shadow is... dealt with honourably... for me.'

'You have my word.' the Dark Prince said, as Mahasti's body faded completely into dust.

And as rain started to pelt down across the arena, the Dark Prince transformed back to normal (clearing up as quickly as it arrived).

The momentary distraction of a conflict now over, the Prince headed back to his chariot and rode off into the sunrise, preparing himself for the final battle.

Dark Path

As the Prince rode his chariot through the barely lit streets, he thought for once that he'd get a break and make a smooth trip to his current destination without delay. Unfortunately, that wish was seemingly short-lived as he found himself caught between two of the Doppelganger's generals, who rode their own chariots at the same speed as his own.

'Hey Prince,' the axe twin said. 'Why don't we make a stop at the makeshift arena up ahead. It would make for a more interesting fight.'

'Fine.' the Prince said in a dismissive tone, as he stopped his chariot and got off, following the Twins to the makeshift arena.

'Alright. Let's get this over with,' the Prince said with great annoyance.

The Twins could only look at each other and let out a knowing laugh, before resuming looking at the Prince again.

'Brother. If you'd do the honors?' the axe twin suggested.

The sword twin pulled out his sword and made a mad dash around the outer rim of the arena, the sparks generated from the tip of the sword causing fires to spring up.

The Prince could only look on in fear, knowing what would happen to him next. His corrupted right arm flared up as flames found themselves magically drawn to it, eventually covering his entire body till he was alight and screaming in pain as the transformation into the Dark Prince occurred. However this time, the Dark Prince seemed happy, almost to a sadistic degree.

'Hahahahaha! Yes! The transformation is now complete! No longer will I have to worry about reluctantly doing the 'right thing' or 'playing the hero'. Now, I'm going ALL OUT!'

'Starting to think this wasn't a good idea brother.' the axe twin said to the sword twin.

The sword twin merely made a calming facial expression at his nervous brother, non-verbally telling him that there was nothing to worry about as the sword twin prepared to attack the now completely irredeemable Dark Prince.

The Dark Prince merely smiled as he slowed down time, dodging out of the way (before he forced the sword twin to the ground and began to choke him out with the Daggertail, putting his full strength into the manoeuvre till a distinct snap could be heard).

'Brother?' the axe twin inquired. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm afraid he's no longer among the living. But don't worry. You'll be joining him very soon,' the Dark Prince cruelly commented.

The axe twin let out cries of anger as he prepared himself for his deadliest technique, charging forward as he raised his axe up, ready to slice the Dark Prince in half.

But it was all too predictable to the Dark Prince (as he merely dodged out of the way, causing the axe twin to slam his weapon into the ground and get it stuck).

'Don't worry. I always keep my promises.' the Dark Prince said, as he stabbed his sword into the other twin's back, immediately killing him.

Unexpectedly, a ton of extra sand got absorbed into the Amulet (as the Dark Prince felt great pain within his skull). He finally remembered the 'Ravages of Time' technique, which had proved especially useful against large groups of enemies on the Island of Time, time speeding up to almost unseen levels from his perspective while enemies could do nothing to defend themselves against it.

With this newly-gained power in hand, the Dark Prince walked away, intent on slaying the one remaining serious threat that stood between him and a new world order (returning to his chariot as he rode off into the sunrise).


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Light Path

Finally arriving at the Babel Tower, the Prince couldn't help but feel a little scared at being back here. It was here that Kaileena sacrificed her life to protect his own, where he barely escaped alive if not for the Resistance coming across his unconscious body...

_Take it easy. You've come a long way since then. No longer are you the learner struggling to find his place in the world. Instead, you have become the master._

Proceeding towards the Babel Tower proper (sneaking past enemy resistance like a natural), he climbed the long-winding staircase until he came across the corrupted form of what had previously been his father in the throne room.

'Father... I never thought I'd see you again. I only wish it was under... better circumstances.'

The corrupted form of what once was King Sharaman, merely shook his head. 'As honored as I am to hear that from you my boy, your words fall on deaf ears. Look at you. You're not even half the man of the one who will easily surpass you in ruling Babylon long after I'm gone. For all your moral aggrandizing, you're still nothing more than a child.'

'I know you don't mean that, Father. It's merely the corruption that's taken control over you. I'm sorry... I'll make sure you're put to rest the way a King rightfully should.'

And with that, the two clashed. Compared to the corruption that had affected Sharaman previously in Azad seven years ago, the Prince noted that this corrupted form of Sharaman retained much more of his original intellect. But there was one major flaw that Sharaman was unaware of... he was still fighting like a mortal man using predictable, easy-to-see through techniques. And that would ultimately lead to his downfall.

Despite the corrupted Sharaman giving all he had in the battle, the Prince ultimately came out the victor, stabbing him in the gut.

'I'm so sorry for everything, Father. I conquered fate itself just to get you back once. Yet here I am losing you again. I don't think I'm ready to let go.'

'You're... stronger than you realize, my son,' Sharaman admitted to him, his humanity springing to the surface as he lay dying in the Prince's arms. 'It was wrong of me to... push you into the same mold as I was in my youth. You're so much more... than your old man ever was. I can rest now... knowing that Babylon is in... capable hands. I'm proud of you son... Now go and live... your life...

And as Sharaman's body faded away into dust, the Prince gently placed him back down on the ground, letting out some tears before picking up his father's former sword.

'Thank you Father. I guess that was all I truly needed to hear. I will carry on our family's legacy and ensure the lessons of the past are not forgotten.'

Placing his new royal sword in his scabbard, the Prince was greeted by the spirit of Zurvan, somehow outside his mind.

'Zurvan? What are you doing here?'

'Because you don't need me anymore, my Prince,' Zurvan said. 'You've conquered and accepted who you are, growing into a wise man who will lead this great city into further prosperity. I wish you luck in your final battle.'

'Thank you. It was an honor having you by my side one last time, Zurvan. Say hello to my mother and father in the great beyond when you get there.'

'I will,' Zurvan said, as he pointed at the Prince's chest. 'And know this Prince. We'll always be with you, in here.'

'Farewell Zurvan,' the Prince said, attempting to hug the spirit of the elder who had helped him through so much, Zurvan returning the gesture as best he could (before finally fading away permanently).

Once the Prince arrived at the top of the Babel Tower, the Doppelganger turned around and seemed pleased to see the Prince.

'Was wondering when you'd get here,' the Doppelganger said. 'Never thought I'd have the opportunity of killing you myself.'

'The feeling's mutual,' the Prince quipped. 'What do you say we quit talking and get straight to the action?'

'Best offer I've had all day.' the Doppelganger said with a knowing smugness, as the two morally conflicted Princes prepared themselves for battle.

Dark Path

Finally arriving at the Babel Tower, the Dark Prince couldn't help but feel satisfied with his new lease on life. He was a fool to have believed retaining the old ways, was the right direction to continually lead this world down. No. Once he took charge, no-one would take anything away from him ever again.

Proceeding towards the Babel Tower (slaughtering any enemy resistance that stood in his way without even needing to try too hard), he climbed the long-winding staircase until he came across the corrupted form of what had previously been his father in the throne room.

'You know, I used to show concern of how the world viewed me,' the Dark Prince said. 'God, what a fool I was to be so concerned about such trivial matters. I don't suppose I can convince you to turn tail and join me instead?'

The corrupted form of what once was King Sharaman, merely shook his head. 'As honored as I am to hear that from you my boy, I'm afraid that request will have to be denied. Look at you. You're not even half the man of the one who will easily surpass you in ruling Babylon long after I'm gone. For all your bragging, you're still nothing more than a child.'

That response struck a deep nerve at the Dark Prince as he prepared his Daggertail for combat and said, 'Very well then. If this is the fate you've resigned yourself to, I'll just eradicate you like all the enemies who dared to cross my path. Prepare to die... Father.'

And with that, the two clashed. Compared to the corruption that had affected Sharaman previously in Azad seven years ago, the Dark Prince noted that this corrupted form of Sharaman retained much more of his original intellect. But there was one major flaw that Sharaman was unaware of... he was still fighting like a mortal man using predictable techniques.

Despite the corrupted Sharaman giving all he had in the battle, he was quickly outmatched and slaughtered by the Dark Prince as he fell and exploded into dust.

The Dark Prince picked up the sword left behind from Sharaman's defeat, examining it pretty closely. Such exquisite craftsmanship, such a glorious shine reflecting off the blade...

'Such a waste of potential.' The Dark Prince said to himself, as he tore the sword in two and threw them back to the ground, setting off for the roof and face the Doppelganger proper.

Once he arrived at the top, the Doppelganger turned around and seemed pleased to see the Dark Prince.

'Was wondering when you'd get here,' the Doppelganger said. 'Never thought I'd have the opportunity of killing you myself.'

'The feeling's mutual,' the Dark Prince quipped. 'What do you say we quit talking and get straight to the action?'

'Best offer I've had all day.' the Doppelganger said with a knowing smugness, as the two corrupted Princes prepared themselves for battle.


	26. Doppelganger Ending

Doppelganger Ending

NOTE: For increased immersion, I highly recommend listening to the following theme whilst reading this ending. It is an instrumental version of Godsmack's I Stand Alone (which was used for the Dahaka's theme in Warrior Within): watch?v=50CAgy6QC70

Despite the two Princes seemingly matching each other blow for blow, the Doppelganger knew sooner or later that the Prince would tire from exhausting so much energy. For all his bravado and prowess, he was still merely a mortal man.

Noticing an opening in his opponent's guard, the Doppelganger took the opportunity to strike and stabbed the Dagger of Time into the Prince's gut with his left hand.

The Prince cried out in pain as his body started to turn yellow, knowing there was no way he was going to survive this final fight now.

To the Doppelganger however, he could only smile in grim satisfaction (knowing exactly what was going to happen next).

As the Prince's body turned yellow before his own eyes, the Doppelganger used his sword to knock the Prince's time-slowed body off his feet before leaping into the air and slicing him in half, a spine-tingling scream being the final sound uttered by the former Prince of Persia as he faded into dust, a great change taking place as inexplicably, the Doppelganger found himself returned to normal and his placement in the timeline restored.

The 'Prince' landed on his feet with careful precision, letting out a sigh of satisfaction (his centuries-long quest finally achieved).

And with the limitless power of the Sands of Time completely in hand, nothing would stop him now from preventing any further threats to his existence (as he cleverly sealed his duped sand monster army back into the Hourglass, having no further use for them as he played hero in front of the populace and granted a vast funeral gathering to all who had fallen in the conflict, having not visibly aged a day).

It was the perfect disguise and served as an effective fresh start with his restored mortality, most being none the wiser.

However, the 'Prince' had failed to learn any of the major lessons his deceased former duplicate managed to realize in the intervening centuries that he'd found himself trapped on the Island of Time, struggling to remain alive among the sand monster ranks, returning to engaging in pointless wars with weaker nations out of boredom in no time flat. It ended up raising questions from suspicious citizens, but it hardly mattered to him as the 'Prince' hired out professional assassins to silence all who dared oppose his rule within Babylon.

And as the 'Prince' prepared himself to lead his royal army into battle, he knew deep down why he relished the thrill of combat so readily.

It proved an entertaining way to keep his skills sharp and for the first time since his youth, he was finally free to carve out his own destiny and demonstrate to the world why nobody makes an enemy of a King of Persia.

THE END?


	27. Dark Prince ending

Dark Prince Ending

NOTE: For increased immersion, I highly recommend listening to the following theme (called the Wandering Sand Prince) whilst reading this ending. It is an unused theme from Prince of Persia TTT's early development version, of which this fanfic shares its name and takes a lot of influence from: watch?v=b0bjceRljqQ

As the two identical-looking Princes clashed (seemingly matching each other blow for blow as they bent time itself to their wills), the Dark Prince realized that in spite of this form providing great benefits in eliminating any kind of fatigue from impacting him again, his inhuman strength meant nothing to an opponent who possessed all of those exact benefits plus infinite access to the Sands of Time.

When either seemed on the precipice of death, the other just rewound time or slowed the battle down to get out of impending danger. When either sped up the clock to visibly increase their overall speed in the eyes of the other, they countered with their own variant on the power. Whether the Dark Prince was willing to admit it to himself or not, he was going to have to approach this battle from a different angle.

'Wait, that's it!' the Dark Prince thought over in his head as he continued to dodge the Doppelganger's incoming attacks. 'Those visions I've been seeing through the Old Man's power... If I can manage to rile him up, he's more likely to make a reckless mistake and give me the upper hand.'

'What's the matter Prince?' the Doppelganger quipped. 'I thought with all that power Kaileena gave you, that things would start to get interesting. But I guess I was wrong.'

'At least I'm not still whining about my lost humanity when no-one else is around!' the Dark Prince cockily stated.

'What did you just say?' the Doppelganger stated in a visibly agitated tone, continuing to fruitlessly slice at his formally mortal duplicate.

'You heard what I said,' the Dark Prince confirmed, landing on a higher ledge away from his opponent. 'Despite all the power you have at your beck and call, you're still approaching every situation as if you were still a weak mortal. What did you hope this conflict would accomplish? Some finality? A sense of closure or greater sense of place in this world? Or perhaps against all odds, a chance to have yourself restored to what you once were? Face it, you'll always be nothing more than a shadow. So you're better off acting like one.'

The Doppelganger yelled with righteous fury as he generated a projectile and flung it in the Dark Prince's direction. The Dark Prince could only laugh at his opponent's futile attempts to defeat him as he landed on the ground with stylish confidence.

'If you really want to prove yourself right, then come towards me and start fighting like the being your heart desires so badly... if you have the guts,' the Dark Prince taunted as he let out a mocking laugh.

In that moment, the Doppelganger lost all rational sense of logic and reason as he began to charge forward, his sword raised to take the Dark Prince's head off. However, this was the exact result that the Dark Prince wanted, timing the entrapping throw of his Daggertail just right to snag his pathetic counterpart in a trap that even a child could have seen coming.

The Doppelganger struggled to break free of the enchanted strength of the Daggertail, but it ultimately did him no good as the Dark Prince demonstrated a malicious facial expression.

'Now, you see. You're only proving me right you pathetic little worm. You should have listened to the advice of your own men and accept yourself for the magnificent godlike being you've become. But since you decided to turn your back on everything, I suppose I'll have to take control of affairs from here.'

'Wh...What are you doing?' the Doppelganger stated in utter terror.

'Oh come now. What happened to all that confidence and bravado you displayed when we first met? When you destroyed the goddess I loved over my former existence as a mortal, you seemed to be satisfied about it, much like the result I'm about to do to you. But with you ceasing to be a continued thorn in my side, the world will be progressed down a greater path of evolution. Humanity will find itself advanced into an entirely new species... a better race if you will, long after you're gone.'

'No, please don't!' the Doppelganger pleaded.

'Farewell.' the Dark Prince sadistically said, as the Daggertail became imbued with fire and burned the Doppelganger to dust as he screamed into oblivion.

The Dark Prince could only let out a satisfied, long-winded laugh. Against all odds, he had won.

Deciding to take his mortal form one last time, the Dark Prince returned to the Resistance hideout, confirming that the threat was over. And while it provided great relief for everyone present, they had no idea what newly refined horrors would be unleashed upon the world, as the Dark Prince let sand guards into the hideout, transforming back into what he now claimed as his 'true self' in front of the entire Resistance, displaying a confident order to his guards to bring them all in for 'evolution' as Resistance members could only delay the inevitable for a few more measly moments.

As the weeks turned into years, the Dark Prince continued to conquer the world with Babylon completely under his control (His newly appointed general, Darius, proving especially useful for bypassing India's defences and turning more innocent people to his ever-expanding, limitless army).

After all was said and done, the Dark Prince had finally accomplished the impossible. Humanity as it once was, was now nothing more than a faded memory long since lost to the mists of history for an overwhelming collective species expansion. And as he sat upon his throne (sipping some fine Mey while his female servants continued to provide him with any nourishment he desired), he knew he had succeeded, letting out an unnerving cackle.

He had... changed his fate.

THE END?


	28. Prince ending

Prince Ending

As the two began to clash, matching each other blow for blow, the Prince realized after some time that his sword slashes were not having any visible effect on the Doppelganger and decided to veer more on the defensive, doing the best he could to evade his duplicate's attacks. All seemed lost to the Prince.

But just then, Kaileena's words to him several days ago on the boat immediately started flashing in his mind. _'You'll know what to do when the time comes... Do not allow your doubts and fears to take hold...'_

Climbing to the top of a secure platform to escape his bloodthirsty opponent temporarily, the Prince quickly tried to come up with a plan while he still had the chance. Physical attacks weren't going to help in this final fight and knew full well the limited amount of Sands at his disposal would be immediately countered in kind by the Doppelganger's near infinite supply, recalling his first battle with Kaileena within her throne room on the Island of Time.

'Come on, come on. Surely there must be a way to defeat my other self... wait that's it!' the Prince realized in his head as he continued to climb up in order to keep on top of the Doppelganger. 'Despite his immortality and incredible durability afforded to him by the limitless power of the Sands, he's still me. The power Zurvan granted, has shown me that this shadow is not inherently evil. Perhaps I can try appealing to what remnants of humanity are still lingering deep within him and end this battle without further bloodshed.'

Climbing back down, the Prince was ready to put himself on the line for the sake of setting things right, the Doppelganger following back to the ground in kind.

'Stand down! I have no desire to harm you anymore!' the Prince exclaimed, as he continued to block and dodge what attacks he could from the Doppelganger.

'And why is that Prince?' the Doppelganger smugly commented. 'Its because of me that Kaileena is dead. Why so many others are dead. So why not try to kill me and save us both some time?'

'Because I... know what you want. To be... human again, right?' the Prince said in-between narrowly dodged sword strikes and projectiles.

This caused the Doppelganger to stop and second-guess what he had just heard come out of his mortal counterpart's mouth with caution. 'What did you say?'

'You want to be human again, right? To escape from this pitiful form you've inhabited for centuries?' the Prince confirmed once again. 'Welcome to my world. For too long, I've also been trying to outrun and change fate over a mistake we both had a part in creating, death and destruction following us at every turn. But it doesn't have to end this way.'

'What are you suggesting Prince?' the Doppelganger inquired with genuine curiosity.

'I'm suggesting that there's a better way out of the conundrum we've both found ourselves in,' the Prince replied in a more calm and reassured tone, knowing that he'd managed to get the attention of his paradoxical duplicate. 'Separately, neither of us will ultimately accomplish anything in the long term. But together as one, we can finally let go of our collective past and move forward as a more complete person, ensuring the best for Babylon's future.'

The Doppelganger let out a reluctant sigh, as he took a moment to glance out at the sky. 'You sure know how to communicate with your fellow man well when you properly use your head, Prince. But I suppose I should know better myself, considering I am you. Or rather... a time-displaced version of you.'

The Doppelganger continued, 'For centuries, I thought I was doing the right thing. After everything I've done... all those monstrous acts I allowed to happen out of misguided hatred, turned out to all be for nothing. I would have been better off dead then bring meaningless destruction upon our world and become the very thing I'd sworn to stop.'

'It wasn't completely your fault,' the Prince confided. 'It was because of me placing that dagger you hold in your hand into the hourglass within Azad all those years ago, that events were set in motion. This shouldn't be your burden to bare anymore. So let's right this wrong and bring this world back from the brink.'

'Very well. Are you ready to do this then?' the Doppelganger questioned. 'Major events in history aren't made overnight.'

The Prince chuckled accordingly as he confirmed his willingness to proceed. 'OK, on the count of three! One...'

'Two.' the Doppelganger counted.

'Three!' The Princes both said in uncanny sync as they rushed forward, leaping into the air as beings no longer in internal conflict with one another, merging together into one being once more, the Prince on the right landing on the ground carefully (feeling a sense of fullness in his spirit that he hadn't felt in a long time).

And as the 'Doppelganger' memories started to flow within his mind, the Prince knew then what he had to do (pushing the Dagger of Time into the Hourglass like so long ago).

The Sands' essence expelled from it and created a spectral human-like form devoid of detailed facial features, which felt so familiar to the Prince's eyes.

'Kaileena! But I thought you were...' Kaileena stopped him by raising a spectral hand.

'In a manner of speaking, I was,' Kaileena stated to the Prince. 'All the events and strenuous trials you put yourself through, I had seen preordained in the altered timeline long before we arrived in Babylon. Events transpired in a variety of different ways, but I am glad it turned out in the finalized state that it did.'

'But at what cost?' the Prince stated. 'In spite of everything I've done in my quest to destroy the Sands of Time, all I have done is lead myself down the same destructive path where the same events play out no matter what I do. I still end up losing the ones I love, in spite of whatever good intentions I go in with.'

Kaileena floated down to the Prince's level and placed a hand on his right shoulder. 'Have you already forgotten about the ones you've already saved or redeemed, my Prince? Without you there to support them, Babylon's remaining resistance would have long since expired by now. Or your family who would have remained corrupted monsters for eternity if you had not brought them down and sent them to a better place, seeing them off with heartfelt compassion. And what about Mahasti or your own paradoxical duplicate? In spite of their barbaric acts, you were still willing to listen and even give them a second chance at redemption.'

As she continued to express her perspective on a universal scale to the Prince, he was beginning to see now where Kaileena was coming from. 'So tell me. Do you still believe yourself the same man you were on the Island of Time Prince? The man who was so quick to jump in without a second thought and kill any who stood in your way, to achieve what your heart desired in the moment?'

Taking a bit of time to properly think it over, the Prince confirmed to her what he'd been running away from for entirely too long. 'No, I do not. I understand now that death is a part of life and it isn't fair to take charge of others' fates so willingly, simply because you're not ready to let go... I guess deep down, I was still that arrogant youth who was too prideful to move forward onto the next stage of my life.'

Kaileena expressed a distinct smile as she started floating back up.

'But its still because of my actions Kaileena that you were killed again, in spite of avoiding that seemingly inevitable event on the Island,' the Prince said. 'Were I to have never opened that Hourglass in the present, current events would not have occurred and countless innocents would have still been alive now. Perhaps you would have still been alive and living a better existence, than to have spent it with me.'

'It was my choice to fall in battle Prince,' Kaileena sympathetically replied. 'There's no need to blame yourself for my unfortunate demise. You showed me the good of humanity and know well the dangers of altering the past for your own gain... I enjoyed what time we had together on this plane of existence in spite of everything and no matter what happens, I will always love you.'

'Thank you Kaileena. I'm going to miss you dearly,' the Prince said.

'As will I. But there are other worlds out there and I will find my place, just as you have found yours,' Kaileena stated, as she started to heal the Prince's wounds for a final time and drained the lingering Sands across Babylon into her very being. 'Be free now Prince. Your journey is at an end.'

And with that, Kaileena was gone (as the Prince clutched the now-powerless Amulet in his hand, knowing that Kaileena would always be with him), placing the Amulet back in its slot as he started to set off back for the Resistance base to deliver the good news, supportive outcries from citizens in the city streets heard from below.

The Prince smiled. The mass rebuild would not be easy (with a lot of valiant spirits to honor into the great beyond), but somehow, he knew that things were going to get better. And as the sun started to set in the distance, a new era for Babylon could begin with a new King of Persia to lead it into the future.

THE END

Cue the credits song from Prince of Persia: Two Thrones- watch?v=xi06b3XPg-g


End file.
